Joey Barton has claimed that Liverpool could be a better side without Philippe Coutinho after selling the midfielder to Barcelona.
The pundit shared his views on the Reds selling Coutinho while on talkSPORT, revealing that the star’s exit had potentially made life easier for Jurgen Klopp.
“Klopp was having an issue, certainly in the Liverpool games I had seen, of getting Coutinho, Mane, Salah and Lallana all into the same side,” stated Barton.
“I think it has actually helped Klopp out, he knew he had a player who wanted away, he was getting a load of money for him, he knew he would be able to reinvest in the side.
“It is going to sound bizarre to say this because Coutinho was mercurial for them at times but they could actually end up being a better team, a more cohesive team, without Coutinho.”
Liverpool agreed a fee of £142million with Barcelona over the sale of Coutinho, which makes him one of the most expensive transfers of all time.
Ahead of his move, the midfielder played 20 times for the Reds this season and scored 12 goals to aid his side’s cause.
OPINION
Barton may be right to believe that Liverpool could be a better team without Coutinho, however it’s a bold view to share without seeing them perform regularly without him. Coutinho was a key player at the Reds and had a positive impact but with him gone, others may step up to fill the void. It’s not uncommon that teams cope after losing a star player as they set to prove everyone wrong that they relied on him. However, there are less doubting Liverpool’s ability to recover due to the fact they have Mohamed Salah, who has been firing on all cylinders for them this season.