Philippe Coutinho's Inter to Liverpool Transfer Discussed by Damien Comolli

Liverpool signed Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan on the recommendation of Rafael Benitez as they "didn't even know he was that good," according to former Reds director of football Damien Comolli. 

Per ESPN FC's Glen Price, Comolli said: "In the spring of 2012, the owners told me that we had a limited spending budget per player of €10 million and we could only sign players who were under 21.

"I said to the scout: 'Coutinho becomes our priority' because we were looking for a wide player to replace Dirk Kuyt. He [Coutinho] was not available because they transferred him to Espanyol [on loan] later on."

Former Liverpool boss Benitez worked with Coutinho during his brief spell at Inter in 2010 when the Brazilian was just 18, and the Spaniard's appraisal was enough to convince Liverpool.

Comolli said:

"

We didn't even know he was that good—it was difficult to watch him play because he was never playing at Inter. We knew about him, we knew he was good, but it was only when Rafa said he's going to be world-class. When somebody like Rafa says a thing about a player like this, you listen.

"

Comolli was sacked by the Reds in April 2012, but Liverpool snapped up the playmaker on January 30 the following year for £8.5 million, and he has proved to be an excellent signing in the four years since:

Liverpool also marked the anniversary of his signing:

Coutinho has been in excellent form this season, accruing six goals and seven assists in 20 appearances.

The 24-year-old is still developing his game and has grown more consistent under manager Jurgen Klopp—while he still has room to improve in that regard, the anonymous performances that were a frequent occurrence under Brendan Rodgers are less common now.

Here's a look at his numbers in the Premier League since his arrival at Anfield, courtesy of Squawka:

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
Apps	13	33	35	26	15
Minutes	926	2,326	2,792	1,996	1,046
Goals	3	5	5	8	5
Assists	5	7	5	5	5
Chances Created per 90 mins	1.94	2.48	1.87	2.21	3.01
Take-Ons per 90 mins	1.65	2.28	3.51	2.21	3.01
Fouls Drawn per 90 mins	1.07	1.59	1.55	1.31	1.98
Pass Completion	74%	81%	80%	79%	83%

His current campaign has been interrupted by injury, but his stats show consistent improvement considering the time he's spent on the pitch compared with previous years.

Indeed, it's unsurprising that football writer Jack Lusby hailed him as the Reds' best player in 2016:

Coutinho has the potential to become a world-class talent—Benitez was correct to identify it even when he was a teenager.

Having handed him a new five-year deal earlier in January, Liverpool will be hoping he achieves that at Anfield.

A difficult month has dealt a serious blow to the Reds' ambitions this season, with their FA Cup third-round replay win over Plymouth Argyle their only victory since New Year's Eve.

Klopp's side crashed out of the competition at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday just days after missing out on a place in the EFL Cup final to Southampton. They have also gone from pushing Chelsea in the title race to hanging on to fourth place in the Premier League.

Qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is their sole priority now—if the Reds are to keep their place in the top four, they need Coutinho to show his best each week for the remainder of the campaign.