Liverpool has just signed Mohamed Salah, which has once again triggered rumours that Philippe Coutinho is set to leave Anfield. The Brazil international has had an impressive couple of years for club and country having recently captained Brazil for the first time.
The Liverpool number 10 finished last season playing in a deeper role than fans have come to associate with him, and he has admitted that his long-term ambition is to play centrally in the Andres Iniesta role. Having finished last season with 13 goals, more than world-record signing Paul Pogba and the likes of Mesut Ozil and Kevin De Bruyne, the attacking midfielder is beginning to be recognised as a world-class talent.
Where next?
Salah’s arrival at Anfield has led to several fans asking where he would fit into the team, with some suggesting he may be used as a high-impact sub. I believe he will start every game, leaving Jurgen Klopp with a dilemma. The German manager will have to drop one of his key players in either Adam Lallana, Gini Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino or Emre Can. I don’t see him leaving any of the first three out the line-up as they complement his team’s style of play perfectly.
There is no way they can play without a holding midfielder which means there is some argument that Salah could be Coutinho’s replacement. Liverpool has been pressured before by Barcelona, which has constantly been linked to signing the creative midfield.
Neymar has mentioned his Brazil teammate on countless occasions in a deliberate campaign to show his desire to have Coutinho playing for the Catalans at some stage.
Despite Barcelona not making a public bid or a statement on whether they want to sign Coutinho, it is almost inevitable that he will leave The Reds at some stage to join the Spanish giants and replace Iniesta.
The two have very similar styles of play and he would slot perfectly into Barcelona’s midfield three. PSG has also hinted at being interested in signing the Liverpool man however the overwhelming support Neymar has provided for a move to La Liga would make it difficult for them to persuade Coutinho to move to France.
What can we expect?
Barcelona is going to have a summer clear-out and bring in someone of the calibre of Marco Verratti, which could mean the club won’t have enough cash to sign Coutinho as well. It is rumoured that if Liverpool, by some freak chance, does decide to let go of its talisman he will cost more than £100m and with Verratti estimated to cost around £60m it is unlikely that The Blaugrana will be willing to spend more than £150m on just two players.
While it is unlikely that The Reds will allow Coutinho to depart, I expect them to let him go at the end of next season. It is a move that will eventually happen but I believe Klopp will have convinced his main man to give him a full season playing alongside his signings so that Liverpool really can compete for the title.
by Nubaid Haroon YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: Who’s Buying Philippe Coutinho? appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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