On Monday, Barcelona completed a deal to sign Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for a fee that could eventually rise to £146million.
The Catalan giants had previously failed in a bid to sign the Brazilian in the summer transfer window. However, the league leaders improved bid and Coutinho’s desperation to join Barcelona meant the deal finally happened.
Coutinho is a fine player and his stats of seven goals and seven assists this season in the Premier League are impressive. However, Liverpool are far from reliant on the 25-year-old when it comes to an attacking threat.
The Reds have been a force to be reckoned with in attack this season. The Merseysiders remaining attacking players have been a major part of that.
In fact, Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has been one of the Premier League’s star players since his summer arrival from Roma. The winger has scored 17 top-flight goals, while also producing seven assists.
Coutinho’s compatriot Roberto Firmino has also been in-form this season, scoring nine Premier League goals and producing five assists. Winger Sadio Mane’s campaign has been stop-start due to injury and suspension. However, the former Southampton star has still scored five league goals and produced four assists.
In short, Liverpool have a number of dangerous attacking players. Of course, they will miss Coutinho’s skill and vision. However, everybody connected with the club will be confident that their team still has enough to maintain their top-four position in the Premier League table this season.
However, Coutinho’s loss may be felt more in the latter stages of the Champions League, as the games get tougher.
Overall, though, the deal was too good to turn down for Liverpool. The Merseysiders have made a major profit on a player they signed for just £8million while being able to reinvest the funds in the summer on new players.