Steve Nicol urges Liverpool to re-sign Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has urged the Reds to re-sign Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho, the Liverpool Echo report.
Coutinho has struggled to adapt to life in the Spanish capital, after his big-money move to the Catalan giants 18 months ago.
Having initially thrived at the Camp Nou, the Brazilian playmaker has since suffered from Ernesto Valverde’s insistence on deploying him out wide rather than the central position, from which he produced ten goals and six assists in just 16 games towards the back end of the 2017-18 season.
Despite winning back to back titles, the 27-year-old has frequently been touted with a move back to Anfield, although the likelihood of such a deal taking place remains low.
Jurgen Klopp has thus far looked to bolster his squad through the acquisitions of affordable young talent such as Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott.
This hasn’t stopped Nicol from suggesting that Liverpool should sign the diminutive midfielder in order to add much-needed firepower to their workmanlike midfield.
Talking to the media, Nicol said:
Philippe Coutinho could play where he played when he left which is part of the front three but he also did a stint in the middle three as well.
He’s already shown in the Premier League that he can work on both these positions. What you’re trying to do constantly is bring in players that not only make your squad better but make everybody in your starting eleven better.
Of course, to have the quality of him, he’s now pushing somebody like (Sadio) Mane or (Mohamed) Salah on the other side.
You’re just talking about making Liverpool better. That’s what’s going to be Liverpool’s problem. How do they make the squad, first of all, but even the starting eleven even better?
A potential Merseyside return for Coutinho looks likely to depend on whether or not Barcelona make a move to re-sign Neymar, with the Paris Saint-Germain star thought to be keen on a return to Spain.