philippe-coutinho-arsenal-liverpool-goal
Back then, Liverpool were a different club. The £142m sale of Phil Coutinho to Barcelona was a tough one to take, but the Reds could understand, La Blaugrana above Anfield in the pecking order.
Now, the departure of a mainstay is met with pain and incredulity. Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world, two-time Premier League champions since 2019. Triumphant in the Champions League one term before that.
Philippe Coutinho scores for Liverpool
Philippe Coutinho scores for Liverpool
There's a famous Jurgen Klopp quote regarding Coutinho and his decision to leave Liverpool for Camp Nou. “Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour," Klopp once said.
The Brazilian magician made up his mind, but he might've had some regrets in restrospect.
Coutinho's post-Liverpool journey
Coutinho has won Champions League titles with Bayern Munich, conquered La Liga with Barcelona, but when looking at his product on the pitch, it's hard to argue that the 34-year-old ever surpassed the giddy level of 2017/18 with Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah and Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic attack-forces in Premier League history, but for six short months, they were supplied by Coutinho from behind. It was a remarkable set-up, with Klopp remarking he was "worthy of world-class status".
Whether Coutinho should have stayed at Liverpool is another matter. His sale facilitated signings such as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker between the sticks. The Reds, in hindsight, needed to make the transfer, sending Klopp's dynasty to loftier heights.
But Coutinho never quite recovered that level. He ebbed and flowed with Barcelona and only managed one campaign on loan with Bayern Munich, though there he impressed throughout.
||
Philippe Coutinho - Career by Club
Club
Liverpool
Vasco da Gama
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Aston Villa
Bayern Munich
Al-Duhail
Espanyol
A return to the Premier League with Aston Villa revealed a different king of playmaker, weather-worn and lacking the same innate magic that captivated the masses on Merseyside.
Liverpool could do with a new version of Coutinho to send the Iraola era up and up. Florian Wirtz might be considered such a player, but the German is still struggling to bring it all together.
Liverpool have their sights set on a new target.
Marquee "deal is on" for Liverpool
In Coutinho, Liverpool once had a transcendental playmaker, starring as a creative force, but also capable of producing moments of magic himself. Think that goal against Manchester United in the Europa League; the curling strike from range against Southampton that almost beggared belief; the free-kick against Arsenal at the Emirates, setting the tone for a 4-3 opening day win.
Liverpool could do with another maverick of a similar cut, and according to Fabrizio Romano, they are closing in on one, with Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola seemingly edging closer to a transfer to Anfield.
REUTERS/Sam Navarro
Along with fellow Reds target Ibrahim Mbaye, 18-year-old right winger, Barcola has been excluded from PSG matchday squads ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. Liverpool have no intention of paying a combined €210m (£180m) fee for the attacking duo, but as far as Barcola is concerned, the deal is on. Liverpool will still have to pay a figure in excess of £100m to bring him over, though.
Over the past two years, Barcola has only been outscored by Ousmane Dembele for PSG. He has scored 34 goals across the two campaigns, but his flair and panache and game-changing ability could see him emerge as a Coutinho-esque presence for Liverpool.
Moreover, Barcola could play a similar role, supplying the likes of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike (when he returns from injury), in the final third while still dazzling through his own actions.
The 23-year-old Barcola is magical. Hailed as "one of PSG's absolute heroes" throughout the richest period in the French side's history, the versatile forward is near impossible to dispossess when darting forward with the ball at his feet. He is both elegant and efficient.
Coutinho was full of vim and vigour himself, but there was also something economical about the way he carried himself under Klopp in the Premier League. He knew how to get the job done, and Liverpool could now repeat that trick by signing a new attacking maestro in
REUTERS/Vincent Carchietta
Barcola is a difference-maker, and Liverpool found themselves short of aces under Arne Slot's management last year. Whether or not he would play the same kind of role as Coutinho once did at Anfield, the France international would emerge as a talisman, and Liverpool must get the job done - the season is less than a week away from starting.