Phillipe Coutinho is linked for a summer move to Chelsea but the former Liverpool star can be expensive to get. Liverpool sold Coutinho for £142m to Barcelona in a controversial transfer in January 2018. The last couple of seasons have been tough for the Brazillian playmaker, who has failed to impress.
In three and a half-seasons in England for Liverpool, Coutinho was at his prime form. Despite that, that form did not last in Barcelona or Bayern Munich. He has failed to make any sort of impact in his time away from the Merseyside.
The 27-year-old was sent on loan to Bayern by the Catalan club after just 18 months. Former Blues defender Frank Leboeuf insists that it would be a gamble for Chelsea to sign Coutinho who is not the same player who was at Liverpool three years back.
The Comments On Coutinho
“Well, to be really honest, and frank, no [Chelsea should not sign him],” Leboeuf told ESPN FC.
“I think Coutinho is a good player and I am not even trying to be harsh on him, I think I want to find Barcelona guilty for the situation because they put a price on Coutinho who I think doesn’t belong to that league.
Coutinho was signed by Barcelona as a future replacement of their icon Andres Iniesta. However, he could not justify the trust put in him. He wasn’t disciplined enough to play as a number 8 for Barcelona. Nor could he be played as a left-winger. His natural ability to go forward on the left-wing and cut inside to have a shot caused problems for Barcelona. He just crowded the area of Lionel Messi in the attack.
The Spanish club was quick to realize that Coutinho was not the player that can play regularly in the first XI. However this season he has been impressive for Bayern, but the German club is not expected to sign him permanently for £105m.
The Real Problem
“Now it is hard to reverse the system, it is hard to think that you can even get the price and accept to lose like £65m for a transfer.” – Leboeuf added.
“But if you check on the quality of Coutinho, of course, he is a talented player, of course, he is a good player, but does he belong to the top, top players? Allow me to have some doubts about that.”
“When I see Neymar when I see [Cristiano] Ronaldo when I see [Lionel] Messi when I see [Kylian] Mbappe, I see the top, top players.
“Coutinho has a price of a top, top player and I do not want to make a statement but I am not sure he has the quality of a top.”
What Next For Chelsea?
There is no shortage of transfer budget for the London club. They did not sign any player last season due to the ban. Despite that, Roman Abramovich might be not interested in spending over £100m on one player.
The Blues faced the transfer ban by UEFA for two consecutive seasons in 2019. The ban was later lifted before January but Frank Lampard decided not to sign anyone in the midseason. Hakim Ziyech is the first signing by Lampard who will arrive from Ajax for £36m at the start of next season.
There is a lot of talk going around his move to Stamford Bridge. The fans and Pundits are expecting big things of him. He is a really talented player. That is exactly why the former England international wanted him at Chelsea.
Keeping that in mind, this is his big chance to deliver. It will be interesting to see now what happens next. Whether the move produces some positive results or not, remains to be seen. For now, the Londoners will be delighted that they have captured this bright 27-year-old star.
Further, Jorginho is also expected to extend his stay at the club. The midfielder has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge for quite some time. However, it seems that shall not be the case now. A whole lot of talent is present at Chelsea. Let’s see whether things work out for Lampard or not.
