Philippe Coutinho has been a revelation for Liverpool. You’d be hard pushed to not freely admit he’s up there with the best bits of business the club has done in recent times.
For a measly £8m, the boy from Brazil has lit up stadiums in red on many an occasion.
Now, however, the food chain looks like it wants to take its toll.
There are two outcomes from this saga that are possible, should all be as it seems. If Coutinho does indeed want to leave Liverpool, then the owners have a decision to make.
Scenario One – He’s sold
Historically, the Reds haven’t replaced players well, so even an infinite amount of cash means absolutely nothing in place of the magician, especially in the current market where the targets the club do have are proving tough to get over the line. If they cash in, there are absolutely no guarantees.
The figures for Coutinho should be high, however. You’d expect £100m+ based on previous deals this window and with the knowledge that Barcelona have a shed load of cash from Neymar’s recent exit.
It’s also worth considering what little time is left during this window. A deal could take any number of days to complete. If Liverpool attempt to replace, they won’t have long to do so. We all know what happens when the Reds panic buy.
It goes without saying, but this scenario is not a good one.
Scenario Two – He stays
Coutinho could be forced to stay by the owners, very much akin to what clubs have done to Liverpool this summer – namely Southampton and Red Bull Leipzig.
Thus far, this ploy has worked for those clubs and Liverpool may well be able to pull it off. You then, of course, risk having a player whose head may not be in the right place, whose attitude may wane, whose effort on the pitch may deplete.
You may also cause Coutinho to take his desire to flee public before the window closes. This very rarely ends well for any club.
It is worth remembering, though, that it’s a ‘world cup year’ and thus you’d expect Coutinho to give his all because of that.
There’s talk of a deal being on the cards next year instead. If he does want a Barcelona move then – or that’s how it eventually pans out and that’s the reason for agreeing to stay this season – he’ll also not want their interest to drop over the course of the upcoming season, which it might if he performs poorly.
All in all, it’s fair to assume if he stays, he’ll perform to the best of his ability.
Take your pick
Ultimately, neither of these scenarios are ideal. One of them will now happen. The latter at least ensures this transfer window won’t be one of decline in squad quality and depth – even if no further additions are made.
For Coutinho, the grass isn’t always greener. I can see him struggling to have the same impact on the Catalan giants as he does on the Merseyside ones. He’s very much the main man under Klopp, he won’t be under Valverde. I get the draw, but he should carefully consider what he wants.
Whatever plays out over the next few weeks, if the Reds head into September with a squad similar or worse than it began with in June, then heads must roll. In a summer before a season that will include Champions League football, plus all the side’s other fixtures, that would be nothing short of suicidal.
