“I was really looking forward to the new step and then this happens. It is very difficult.”
This is not the first time this has happened under the German’s reign, of course. Emre Can, like Gini, ran down his contract and rejected multiple offers of an extension, leaving in 2018, only to fail in Italy without the trust, tactics and encouragement of Klopp.
After Juventus, Can joined Borussia Dortmund, where he is also now a substitute.
“I just know how huge the club is and the mentality of the club – they want to win titles. That’s my mentality too. I came here to win titles,” Can told the Mirror at the time of his exit to Juve, just before Liverpool went on to win the Champions League and Premier League in his absence…
Coutinho said something similar of course just six months prior, upon departing for Barcelona in January of the same year.
“I really want to win big titles, it was one of the reasons that made me sign for the club. I want to win as many as I can, I don’t have preferences,” the Brazilian, who at the time was considered one of the world’s best attackers, said, according to SportBible.
It’s fair to say the £142m transfer didn’t work out for Phil, after feigning a back-injury to force an Anfield exit…
He’s been sent out on loan, repeatedly flaunted to various clubs on the continent – who have taken little interest – and even worse, often not selected by Barca through fear of triggering extra transfer fee payments.
This season, he’s made a few appearances, but often with Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong ahead of him – which says it all.
Perhaps the lesson is, when you’re a starter for Klopp and have the adulation of the best fans on the planet, stay where you are.
The manager loved Coutinho, Can and Wijnaldum, but he also maximised their strengths. He made football fun, let them play off the emotion of the crowd, surrounded them with similarly-driven team-mates and had a clear footballing vision and club ethos.
In short, he was an amazing boss and someone whose skill and passion they will not encounter again.
Wijnaldum still has a chance of thriving at PSG, of course, and I hope he does. But does playing a bit-part role in a title for a team you’ve just joined really create happiness and a feeling of achievement? I don’t think so – just look at Taki Minamino’s muted celebrations when Liverpool won the title or the multiple quotes from title-winning subs about a feeling of nothingness.
Remember, Coutinho has won two league titles and two Spanish cups for Barca, and the Bundesliga and Champions League for Bayern Munich since leaving Klopp. So in many ways, he’s got what he wanted – but at the complete cost to his reputation and the unified love of a fanbase. And is he happier? Not judging by how he plays his football nowadays – that’s for sure.
Emre Can won two Serie A titles with Juve, but who cares? He wasn’t a starter and they would have won it without him.
The grass wasn’t greener, and it might not be for Gini, either.
The irony is, while he warms PSG’s bench, Liverpool could do with him. Thiago and Harvey Elliott are injured and it’s likely Wijnaldum would’ve started every PL game this term had he extended.
But he’s made his bed, and I hope he sleeps well in it.
It’s not always a silly decision to leave Klopp. Danny Ings thrived, Xherdan Shaqiri has started well at Lyon and even Dom Solanke is now proving himself a reliable striker in the Championship – but crucially – these three were not starters.
When you have Klopp’s faith and he plays you every week, it doesn’t get much better.
Hopefully when discussing his contract (although Liverpool should rightly be paying him any enormous sum requested), Mo Salah will take note!
