Why Philippe Coutinho Will Spend 2 More Seasons at Liverpool
For much of the past decade, Liverpool have represented little more than a stepping stone for world football's top talent, and though the arrival of new manager Jurgen Klopp will hopefully assuage this trend, it is increasingly likely that star midfielder Philippe Coutinho will leave the club at some stage.
In recent seasons, Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Raul Meireles, Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling have all left Merseyside for loftier climes, signalling a downturn in fortunes for the club.
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With Coutinho linked with both Real Madrid and Barcelona this season, as suggested by Spanish publication Sport (h/t the Mail) in October, it is highly plausible that he will follow Suarez and Sterling out of the Anfield exit, continuing to breakdown of Brendan Rodgers' title-challenging squad of 2013/14.
But, while there is a sense of inevitability about the majestic Brazilian's departure to La Liga, Coutinho is likely to spend at least two more seasons at Liverpool before joining one of Barcelona or Madrid.
When Barcelona want a player, more often than not they get their man. Along with Madrid, the Catalan giants' status as a superpower of European football represents the pinnacle for ambitious footballers; and, particularly, South American stars plying their trade on the continent.
Suarez's £75 million move to Barcelona in 2014 is a prime example of this, and the way in which the club and their many outspoken stars went about persuading the Uruguayan this was the right move was characteristic of their approach in the transfer market.
Speaking to CNN (h/t the Mirror) ahead of Suarez's Merseyside departure, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu revealed that they had begun talks with the striker long before they struck a deal with Liverpool:
"When we approached Suarez, it was before the World Cup. We told him that he had the right age. He had the experience.
Playing at Liverpool gave him incredible performance and it was the right time for him to come to our club, to Barcelona.
We knew from of lot of years ago that Luis Suarez likes our club, likes our city.
And we have the advantage - his agent is [former manager] Pep Guardiola’s brother...He’s from Barca in his heart, also, so everything was perfect and created the perfect atmosphere that Luis Suarez accepted.
"
Mirror reporter Darren Lewis described this as "tapping up," a universally frowned-upon method of gauging a player's interest in moving ahead of formal talks with the player's current club.
This is not limited to Bartomeu, of course, as Lionel Messi's comments on Cesc Fabregas, ahead of the midfielder's move from Arsenal to Barcelona, prove.
"It would be special to be reunited with Cesc in the same team, in the same way that it happened with [Gerard] Pique when he returned from his spell at Manchester United," the Argentine said in 2010, as reported by the Telegraph.
"We're in contact, we speak and sometimes we send each other messages.
"He wants to come to Barcelona and we're all waiting to see what will happen. I hope he ends up coming and that we can play together again."
This charm offensive is a familiar routine for Barcelona players, and one which has extended to Coutinho this season.
"I think there are many players with great qualities that could be playing for Barcelona," Barcelona forward Neymar told reporters in September, as relayed by Sky Sports. "One of them is [Philippe] Coutinho. He is a great player and his style suits Barcelona."
Though this is a crass, brazen stance by the Liverpool No. 10's Brazilian compatriot, precedent suggests that Coutinho's move to the Camp Nou is inevitable.
The 23-year-old would arguably fit perfectly within Luis Enrique's current setup, too.
Marking a return to form in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League, Coutinho's two goals, coming from a floating midfield role—somewhere between a No. 8 and a No. 10—highlighted his strengths.
Coutinho is a supremely talented midfielder, able to both dictate play from deep and spearhead attacks with pace and dribbling ability—and as his two-goal display proved, he is capable of producing genuine, match-winning quality.
At his best, operating behind pacy, dynamic attackers such as Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in 2013/14, Coutinho is capable of unpicking the most compact of defensive lines with through balls and clever flicks.
Essentially, Coutinho is perfectly primed to take on the role of the ageing Andres Iniesta.
The prospect of the Brazilian lining up behind the world-class trio of Neymar, Suarez and Messi is mouthwatering, and Coutinho would only continue to improve servicing such a talented group of forwards.
However, it can be argued that, with Barcelona having signed Arda Turan for up to £30 million in July, as well as already possessing the undeniably talented Iniesta—still only 31—and high-potential midfielder Rafinha, among others, Coutinho would face significant competition for a starting role under Enrique.
Proving to be a relatively inconsistent talent at this stage, it is likely that Coutinho would play a bit-part role at Barcelona if he were to join in the near future.
For this reason, the Brazilian would be wise to remain on Merseyside to hone his talent—and there are few better managers to oversee this development than Klopp.
"I love this player. Who doesn’t love Phil Coutinho?" Klopp asked Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo after Saturday's win at Stamford Bridge.
"I don’t expect all day perfection. I expect you to work and try to get better every day. That is what Phil is doing and what the team is doing. That is how we make the next steps."
Klopp is a manager who recognises Coutinho's talent, but also his position as a burgeoning young footballer, and while the German will likely build his team around his No. 10, he will practice caution as he continues to develop into a world-class midfielder.
Coutinho remaining at Anfield for at least two more seasons would benefit both parties, with Klopp holding onto his best players as he looks to restore Liverpool to their former glory, and the Brazilian maturing into a player capable of thriving consistently at the highest level.
Those two goals against Jose Mourinho's side were Coutinho's first since scoring on the opening day of the season against Stoke City, and a poor run of form in between underlines his fledgling status.
Coutinho will undoubtedly reach the level required to challenge for Champions League honours with Barcelona or Real Madrid, and reaching peak age in two years' time, at 25, seems a reasonable point to do so.
But the former Vasco da Gama youngster would be wise to stay with Liverpool until that is a reality.
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