Barcelona received a huge boost in the winter transfer window as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp stated that he had been unsure about whether Philippe Coutinho’s stay at the Merseyside club during the winter transfer window. However, the Brazilian seemed to be content with life at Anfield and was seemingly finding his way back to form.
Coutinho was absolutely brilliant when Liverpool faced Brighton & Hove Albion in their latest Premier League fixture as the Reds ran riot in a 5-1 victory at Falmer Stadium on Saturday. The Liverpool playmaker set up two goals and scored one himself before another one of his shots was deflected in, but his superb display proved that they would miss him surely.
The La Liga giants came knocking thrice on Liverpool’s front door inquiring about the ‘little magician’ but the Merseyside club was adamant that they were unwilling to sell their star midfielder.
When asked about whether Coutinho would remain at Anfield come February, Klopp said, “No-one knows what will happen in the nice and calm January transfer window. It’s nice from an outside view, but I have absolutely nothing to say. Nothing, but I don’t think about it. Not one second. I’m not unsure, I’m not sure, I don’t think about it.”
It seems like it’s quite clear, Klopp is not too worried about the transfer speculation regarding Liverpool’s talisman and has mentioned that Liverpool are not a ‘selling club’. But it could also be possible that the German boss might not want to make a big deal about what happened in the past. Barcelona made three bids, each bigger than the previous one, to lure Philippe Coutinho to the Nou Camp but failed to acquire their prime target, with the latest offer reaching close to £120m.
Coutinho had initially missed the first six games for Liverpool due to injury but then returned back to the first team . He is still performing as well as ever for the Reds. The South American star has now registered six goals and six assists since his return and is at his free-flowing best at the moment. However, Barcelona will still be lurking in the January transfer window as Coutinho continues to shine at Liverpool.
The Catalan club are looking to replace their midfield maestro Andreas Iniesta as his age does not allow him to play the full 90 minutes. The 25 year old Coutinho is more than a worthy replacement for the Spaniard. Coutinho’s intelligent passing and killer instinct is of the highest order as he can pick out passes not many can observe on the football pitch. His dribbling skills often leave his manager and the Anfield faithful in awe of the trickery combined with a powerful right foot.
Despite that, will Coutinho choose to leave the club that has turned him into a superstar that he is? When he arrived from Inter Milan, he was unwanted by the Italian side. However, he is now regarded as one of the best play-makers in the world. The Liverpool fans surely wants him to be there till the end of the season but no one can predict what will happen in the transfer window. So let’s wait and watch.
