Reports originating from Spain claim that Philippe Coutinho has agreed personal terms with Barcelona.
It is has been reported that Barcelona directors held talks with the player’s representatives in London yesterday despite Liverpool having not agreed a fee with the Catalan outfit. This, of course, would mean that permission wouldn’t have been granted for such talks to have taken place but as we all know, this shit happens all of the time. It is claimed that the player’s personal package was agreed and that Barcelona will now step up with a new and improved offer for him in the hope of tempting Liverpool to deal.
Although we’ve been away on our summer jolly and have only just returned to the office today, we did post on our Facebook page last week that Coutinho wanted the move to Barcelona. Obviously, we were CAPS-LOCKED to death by some naive supporters who struggle to handle negative claims but such statements really shouldn’t come as a surprise as it is Coutinho’s dream to play for them, which is fair enough.
You can bang on about new contracts but everyone knows you may as well tear them up and wipe your arse with them when such opportunities come in. Claims from players that they want to become legends and claims from managers that players aren’t for sale are nice things to hear but we’ve heard it and seen it all before. Money and aspirations talk, end of.
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However, today’s reports are a little bit odd and we think they are instigated by those who want to make the transfer happen and that’s not Liverpool. Personal terms would already have been indirectly agreed before any formal bid was tabled. Barcelona will know exactly what the player is thinking and would not have bid had they not been briefed by the player’s agent. If you think differently, you really need to ask yourself how naive (or incredibly thick) you are. The media claims today seem tactical. We just have to ask ourselves why these claims were made.
The anti-FSG mob will, of course, want you to believe that the American owners are the ones trying to cash in on Coutinho. We have no time for FSG at all but we don’t believe for one minute that they are behind this. However, we do believe that if silly money is offered, they will try to maximise the return from any potential sale. That is just common sense and if a player wants out the best the club can hope for is a mammoth transfer fee or hope to get another season out of him.
While we obviously want to hold on to Coutinho, we wouldn’t want to deny him his dream move and if a player’s head has been turned, we don’t really want such players to be at the club whoever they are. But there is a bigger problem here. Klopp genuinely wants Coutinho to stay. This has been conveyed directly to the player, the senior management and the owners. In our opinion, if the boss loses Coutinho this could prove to be a real negative for him personally.
The owners know they have to do everything they can to hold on to Coutinho. If Barcelona are reluctant to pay a premium for him, Liverpool might be able to retain him. If Coutinho is sold, the mood would certainly turn sour. However, there really isn’t much the club and the owners can do if the player pushes for a move. Silly money has to be accepted. You cannot hold on to players who want to be elsewhere as Southampton and Leipzig will soon learn.
Our advice would be to ignore every claim that comes out of Anfield and the local media and focus instead on claims coming from sources close to Barcelona. We’d also ignore Guillem Balague. He’s about as reliable as an ashtray on a motorbike. Don’t follow the claims on Twitter by people who are hedging their bets and who rely on guesswork. Stick with the sources you trust and stick to the facts. At the present time, Philippe Coutinho is a Liverpool player and he is not for sale. What happens next will depend on Barcelona, the player and his representatives. They’re going to have to work very hard to make a transfer happen.
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