Munich: Bayern Munich announced on Friday they have extended the contract of Spanish playmaker Thiago Alcantara until 2021.
A day after Bayern took out the buy option to sign France winger Kingsley Coman from Juventus after a loan spell, Thiago has also added two years to his Bayern contract.
The 26-year-old Thiago signed in 2013 when Bayern’s ex-coach Pep Guardiola insisted he was the player he wanted brought from Barcelona.
The attacking midfielder has been outstanding this season as a key element of Bayern’s star-studded attack and has made 20 appearances for Spain since 2011.
“Thiago is one of the best and most sought-after midfielders in Europe,” said Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“We are very pleased to be able to retain this outstanding professional in the long term.”
Thiago has already won three straight German league titles with Bayern having also lifted the Champions League trophy with Barcelona in 2011.
“My family and I feel very comfortable in Munich. Everything fits,” he said.
“I want to win many titles with FC Bayern in the future.”
Bayern are licking their wounds after Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund, eight days after being knocked out of the Champions League’s quarter-finals by Real Madrid.
However, Bayern will be confirmed German league winners for a fifth straight season on Saturday if they a win at Wolfsburg and second-placed RB Leipzig lose or draw at home to Ingolstadt.
And Rummenigge insists the German giants are backing head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The cup defeat leaves them winless in their last five games — their worst streak without a win for 17 years.
Rummenigge has made it clear he and club president Uli Hoeness are backing Ancelotti — for now.
“Carlo is a very good and experienced coach,” Rummenigge told German daily Bild on Friday.
“His contract (until 2019) is well known and will not be discussed.”
Bayern started April 13 points clear in the Bundesliga and in the running for the treble of Champions League, German league and cup titles.
Their league lead has now been cut to eight and Rummenigge says injury, plus unfavourable refereeing decisions, were behind the European and cup exits.
He means the shoulder injury which ruled star striker Robert Lewandowski out of the 2-1 first-leg defeat to Real and the red card shown to Arturo Vidal in the away defeat in Madrid, when Bayern lost 4-2 after extra time.
“One shouldn’t forget: two weeks ago we were right up there with a A1 mark next to our name!,” said Rummenigge.
“Then things happened which one can’t influence: injury, refereeing decisions, and sometimes the necessary luck is missing.”
However, ex-Bayern and Germany midfielder Mehmet Scholl predicts big changes at the Allianz Arena for next season.
“The bosses will now ask, do we have the right people at Bayern?,” Scholl told broadcaster ARD.
“Do (Kingsley) Coman, (Douglas) Costa or (Renato) Sanches help?
“Uli decides on a gut feeling, Kalle (Rummenigge) with his head.
“I believe they will do crazy things now.”
Yet Rummenigge has ruled out any panic and says the club will not rush into filling the director of sports role, which has been vacant since Matthias Sammer quit on health grounds in April 2016.
“We haven’t been knocked out of competitions because we don’t have a sports director,” said Rummenigge.
“Competence is more important here than getting the vacancy filled.”
Should Ancelotti be sacked, Hoffenheim’s Julian Nagelsmann, at 29 the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, would be a prime candidate to replace him.
He was named Germany’s coach of the year for 2016 and Bayern have already tried to poach him — to work in their youth academy in 2015.
— AFP
