Given how important he is, I'd rather not have him stretching out / getting up to match speeds on consecutive days. But I'm nitpicking alreadyHe only played 45 minutes yesterday, so Klopp said he would get 45 minutes today.
Barcelona have an agreement in principle to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for a base fee of €90 million (£81.6m) with bonuses that could bring the deal to €120m (£108.8m), sources close to the Catalan club told ESPN Deportes' Jordi Blanco.
I concur. Like it or not, Barcelona is still a couple steps up the pyramid from Pool. Getting 90 is key, as that represents a nice profit on the player and makes the shopping for a replacement less budget conscious.I suspect that this isn't a club choice, but the player is driving the process.
Too bad they never actually got one.There's no way he could be replaced this window - so I suspect they will do what they did with Suarez - ask for one final year and then let him go in the summer of 2018 - giving them proper time to line up a replacement.
I don’t think I’ve ever known such contrasting reports (Catalan media vs people in Liverpool). The people at Liverpool are adamant there are no talks now. No change in position. There have been no talks between #LFC and Barca since the first bid in Hong Kong which was rejected. I just don’t see a position that LFC can justify selling Coutinho this window. Barca’s confidence stems from having 200m to burn. To sell Coutinho now would massively undermine Klopp. You couldn’t adequately replace Coutinho, it would undermine Klopp and be a hammer blow before the start of the season. My only worry with Coutinho is if he’s got Barca in his ear telling him “This is your one and only chance.” I don’t think that would be the case.
If you have a superstar begging to go, there's no way to replace him for the simple reason that if a replacement of equal value was available in his position, the suitor club would have explored that option; if alternative option was as good or better, then he would have gone to the more prestigious club. So, if you want to find a CAM replacement, you need to to look for a up and coming player to bet on; he's going to be cheaper, but it's going to be a risky proposition. So, basically, you take the gazillion dollars you made off the transfer and just spreading bets among 3-4 players hoping that at least one is going to grow into a player of the same caliber. But that sets you back a couple of years.All the Liverpool based media sources are in agreement that the club won't sell this window. It seems clear that Coutinho would like to go, but only if he can leave on good terms.
There's no way he could be replaced this window - so I suspect they will do what they did with Suarez - ask for one final year and then let him go in the summer of 2018 - giving them proper time to line up a replacement.
Two months ago I would have agreed. If they want to finish in the top four, selling him now is madness.Am I crazy for thinking that Liverpool would be smart to sell Coutinho for 100m? Coutinho is really good, but he's not a superstar on the Neymar/Suarez level, or likely to grow into one like Dembele. He's already 25, so while he's coming into his prime years he's not likely to improve much more and his value is probably at his peak. And Liverpool badly need depth. If they can turn Coutinho into 3-4 additional quality players, that seems like good business to me.
That doesn't seem to be worth much. Coutinho could just stay home, take whatever fines LFC impose, and just wait for Barça to reimburse him after a transfer, right?Liverpool has apparently rejected the transfer request.
Well, I think the "back injury" he has is him sitting out for now. LFC can play hardball on this. He just signed a 5 year contract. Also, with the World Cup next year, Coutinho still needs to play well this year to guarantee a spot on Brazil. He can't sit out or sulk all year. We'll see if LFC has the stones to stand their ground. If they let him go, what to stop someone like Firmino to do the same thing next year?That doesn't seem to be worth much. Coutinho could just stay home, take whatever fines LFC impose, and just wait for Barça to reimburse him after a transfer, right?
I don't either, but the tea leaves seem to imply he neither wants his spot, nor the playing time being offered to him by his current club.I don't think Coutinho will have any difficulty keeping his spot. If he stays and gets playing time, I'd imagine his quality will increase significantly at the end of the year both for the WC and for the pending transfer.
These family member tweets sound like convenient excuses. Barca is a--or the--premiere landing spot for a guy like Coutinho, and he’s going to do or say whatever it takes to get there.The weird one is this leak from Coutinho's camp that he isn't happy with his role or his relationship with Klopp, given:
- He's played in his preferred LW role aside from the last 2 games of this past season where he was on the left side of the diamond
- Klopp has gone out of his way to talk up Coutinho at every turn
Or any team really, all a contract usually means is that the team can command a higher fee. Every level of club can force a move with clubs a tier or 2 down.Contracts don’t mean a damn thing in football when Barca or Real come calling.
LFC’s flaws seem the same regardless of personnel or coaching. I don’t get it anymore.