Liverpool must keep Coutinho at all costs
Barcelona’s interest in Coutinho has made its way into reports for quite some time, but links of the Brazilian’s move now appear to be popping up at a rapid pace. According to some reports, Coutinho has even already agreed terms with the Catalans.
While his intentions might lie away from Anfield, it is ultimately his club who have the final say in his transfer. It may be difficult to keep a player if he wants out, but the recent renewal of his contract until 2021 places plenty of power into the club’s hands.
And the club must use such power to ensure that their star man remains at the club. Liverpool will play Champions League football for the first time in three years, and if they learned anything from their previous return to Europe’s elite competition, it’s that the time to sell is not now.
If Liverpool are to build on last season’s fourth place finish, they cannot rebuild from Coutinho’s exit. His significance to Liverpool is clear, and while Liverpool have plenty of attacking talent in their ranks, his departure would be the hardest, save for possibly Saido Mane. Possibly.
While Luis Suarez’s atrocious behavior eventually forced Liverpool to sell him, the impact of his departure should be taken into careful consideration by the Reds.
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Back in 2014, the lack of available world-class attacking talent gave Liverpool little choice, but to sign Mario Balotelli, as a desperate, panic buy. That proved to be a catastrophe, with the striker netting just one Premier League goal all season and Liverpool struggling greatly in attack.
Sturridge would certainly have eased the damage of Suarez’s transfer, but has since struggled with injuries and fitness for seasons, though recent comments from his teammates and Klopp himself are positive indication that such issues may not be a concern this upcoming season.
It took three seasons after the striker’s move for the Reds to return to the Champions League and while Coutinho is not at Suarez’s level when he left the club, but the current situation is similar to the summer of 2014.
Even with massive funds, it’s hard to see where Liverpool would make use of it. As the transfer window nears a close, clubs will have a greater reluctance to sell. Few adequate replacements are actually available.
Analysts have been critical of Liverpool’s transfer window, but buying players should not be nearly as high on Klopp’s agenda as keeping current ones. His success at Dortmund was not a result of immense transfer activity, but of the improvement of his current players and the occasional signing to tweak his side.
Salah is a massive signing, and despite their unsuccessful pursuit of Naby Keita, an addition at the back would confirm a solid transfer window.
Spurs’ progression in recent seasons is actually a decent assertion that spending money is no requirement of success. In 2015/2016, Spurs may have been fortunate that Chelsea, Manchester United, City, and Liverpool all had off years in a domestic sense, but spent far less than any of the top six the following summer and finished higher in the league this past season.
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While Tottenham made few major signings, what afforded them the ability to seal successive Champions League qualifications is the fact that they retained their talent.
The Reds must do so as well to fulfill their ambitions, and as such, Coutinho’s transfer would be a step in the wrong direction.