LFC Daytrippers panellist @AYPrivateEye has been sharing his view with regards to how Philippe Coutinho would fare if he was to return to the club.
The Brazilian left Anfield in January 2018 in a deal reportedly worth £130.5m (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk) but the 28-year-old was loaned out to Bayern Munich last summer, who have decided not to take up their option to buy the player.
It’s rumoured that Barcelona are keen to offload the player and there have been some reports suggesting the player is keen on a return to Merseyside. Speaking on a recent episode of the podcast, when discussing whether Coutinho would improve this current Liverpool side, here is what the panellist had to say:
“I don’t think Coutinho’s second coming will be anything like his last season at Anfield. He’s had a couple of years now of very average performances and a couple of glimpses, really, of his quality. It would be difficult to replicate that again especially coming into a team who has totally moved on from his type of player. The midfield doesn’t do what we did then.”
Would you like to see Philippe Coutinho return to Anfield?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
Coutinho impressed during his time at Anfield. He was signed back in 2013 for £11.7m from Serie A giants Inter and after just five years, the club made a huge profit of more than £100m.
In 201 appearances for the Reds, the attacking midfielder scored 54 goals and 45 assists, but if he was to return, there is no way of definitively predicting whether or not he would be a success.
Liverpool don’t tend to play with natural attacking midfielders nowadays, therefore, you could argue that there is no place for the player in this current system.