Philippe Coutinho remains something of a divisive figure still in Merseyside following his ill-advised departure from Liverpool in 2018.
The money the Reds then received at the time (£142m) ultimately funded the club’s acquisition of two key men – Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk – who were both adjudged to have helped turn around the side’s fortunes.
There’s still an overriding sense that the Brazilian made the wrong decision to swap Anfield for the Camp Nou (a feeling backed up by reality), however, in large part, fans have moved on.
Whilst the 29-year-old’s career has nosedived somewhat, there’s still clearly a very good player in the midfielder, with several fans tweeting that a reunion with Liverpool wouldn’t necessarily be a terrible idea after a report linked the No.14 with a return to L4.
Whether there’s a player there that we can utilise effectively, however, remains to be seen, and, in our minds, there’s little to no chance of our recruitment team being tempted into finding out.
Even should Coutinho be acquirable for a modest sum of £18m (his current valuation according to Transfermarkt’s database), a fraction of his prior transfer fee, he’s a luxury item we can ill afford when there’s a more clear need for a durable, Wijnaldum-esque signing.
The argument can be fairly made that he’d be a fantastic option off the bench, but while our finances are as limited as they are currently, we’ve bigger priorities at the moment than embracing sentiment and nostalgia.
You can catch some of the fan reaction below:
For a right price,Coutinho is a bargain.
— Arvie Fadhlillah (@arviefadhlillah) October 13, 2021
Do this in a heartbeat. Offers options in midfield and either wing when players are injured or need resting, and he does something no one else does….shoots from outside the box rather than trying to walk the ball into the net.
— Andy Jay (@Andy_Jay82) October 13, 2021
why not
— Gannon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@Gannon1981) October 13, 2021
Would take him back in a heartbeat
— Peter Hewitt (@peterhewitt84) October 13, 2021
1 million percent get him back!!!
— benny franklin (@crypto_bull2000) October 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/littlenotcher/status/1448223795479728129
Take the prodigal son back!
— Wellitsjoel_ (@joelezekiel6661) October 13, 2021