Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed that Liverpool are the “biggest losers” due to Philippe Coutinho’s recent injury.
During the 2018 January transfer window, the Reds agreed to sell the Brazilian forward to Barcelona in a whopping £142m deal (per BBC).
Since then, the 28-year-old attacker has made 90 appearances for his Catalan club, in which he has managed to score 23 goals and provide 14 assists for teammates (per Transfermarkt).
A recent report by the La Liga outfit revealed that Coutinho had undergone knee surgery and he was set to be sidelined for three months (per Barcelona).
In the latest episode of The Price of Football podcast, Maguire discussed Coutinho’s injury and claimed that Liverpool were the “biggest losers” because of it.
He said: “Philippe Coutinho went from Liverpool to Barcelona, as we know, about three or four years ago – it’s not been an overwhelming success.
“He has just had an injury to his knee, his meniscus. I injured myself [doing the Dublin marathon with the same injury] and I’ve not been able to run since.
“So, I’m hoping for Philippe Coutinho’s sake that the doctors at Barcelona are slightly better than the ones that treated me.
“He’s played for Barcelona 90 times and on his 100th appearance, Liverpool were due to receive an extra €20m because the nature of the deal was such that there were a series of add-ons.
“He had managed to force his way back into the affections of the manager, he was playing a bit better, things seemed to be on the up, but Liverpool, I think, will be the biggest losers here.
“My understanding is that Barcelona have been trying to pass him on to another club for some time but he was the least bad of the bunch and therefore, he was getting into the first team.”
TIF Thoughts on what Kieran Maguire said about Philippe Coutinho…
As can be seen in what the football finance expert had to say, he believes that the Reds may well be the “biggest losers” because of Coutinho’s injury.
Are you worried about Liverpool not receiving the full amount for Coutinho?
No, it's not a concern
Yes, it is a worry for us
Of the £142m which was agreed when Brazilian moved to the Camp Nou, Jurgen Klopp’s side reportedly received £105m of that up front, so, the fee for his 100th appearance will seemingly be part of the remaining £37m.
However, with the Catalan club having claimed Coutinho will be out of action for three months, there will still be enough games for the Brazilian to make 100 appearances this season if he returns at the beginning of April.