In January 2018, Barcelona completed the second record transfer in their history. The Catalans bought midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for 120 million euros right in the middle of the season. Due to bonuses and other allowances, the transfer amount increased to 135 million.
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Ernesto Valverde was obliged to use Coutinho in almost every match. The coach was forced to do this by the transfer cost of the player. But sometimes it seemed that the specialist did not find a place on the field for one of the most expensive players in the history of the club. The situation began to deteriorate for all parties, and the player’s salary of 13.5 million euros per year did not improve it in any way. As a result, Barcelona had to rent out their expensive acquisition in order to save some money. In August 2019, Bayern Munich “borrowed” the Brazilian from the Catalans, taking on his salary. “Blue Garnet” also received 8.5 million euros “from above”.
This is not to say that the German period in Coutinho’s career was too successful for him. Yes, the midfielder won 3 titles in 1 season but in Munich he was a rotation player. Interestingly, in the Champions League triumphant for Bayern, the Brazilian scored only 3 goals, and 2 of them against Barcelona. As a result, the player left Bayern, taking several medals with him.
Where can Coutinho go?
Arsenal
The London club is one of the main contenders for Coutinho should he leave Barcelona. The Gunners had previously tried to get Phil, but failed for various reasons. Then they rented Martin Edegaard from Real Madrid, which Michel Arteta liked very much. Arsenal remain interested in the Brazilian, but will only take over his transfer if they cannot keep Edegaard.
Tottenham
Spurs had previously come very close to signing Coutinho. Tottenham wanted to rent a footballer, but he refused to move to London. At the time, Phil stated that after a period at Liverpool, he would no longer be able to play for any other Premier League club. By now, the position of the Brazilian has changed, and the Spurs are still ready to fight for him.
Everton
Everton got James Rodriguez into their ranks, but they are not going to stop there. James almost never plays in the position of an attacking midfielder, and it is quite possible to compete with the Icelander for a place in the start. Everton are not yet claiming the highest spots in the Premier League, but they are setting themselves big goals. James did not hesitate to move from Real Madrid to a more modest club. Perhaps Coutinho should have done the same. Sometimes changing the club registration (albeit not of equal value) helps the players to reboot their careers and feel happier.
