Liverpool Hold All The Cards When It Comes To Philippe Coutinho

It is crazy to think the power that footballers and their agents have these days. In most cases they can throw a huff and get their own way, whether that be a new contract or engineering a move elsewhere.

This season has seen more and more top stars allowing their contracts to run down and they’ll be free speak to all interested parties after New Year about a possible summer Bosman move.

In the case of Philippe Coutinho and Liverpool, the club actually hold most of the cards when it comes to the attacking midfielder’s future.

Last summer, FC Barcelona made a big play for the Brazilian internationalist but the English Premier League side held firm and refused to do a deal.

The move didn’t just frustrate the Catalan giants, supposedly the player himself was desperate for the move to go ahead.

At the end of the day, Liverpool gave Coutinho a whopping five year contract back in January, that’s reportedly worth £8m a year and it doesn’t have a release clause inserted into it. All the club are doing now is making sure the forward thinking maestro honours his deal.

Now while Barca were bidding for the Brazilian in the summer, the Reds’ number ten started to suffer from a mysterious back injury, although that problem didn’t seem to stop him from playing for his national side! When the transfer window shut in September, the twenty-five year old was soon back in the Liverpool first-team.

Since coming back into the fold, Coutinho has once again shone in a Liverpool jersey. his qualities have never been in doubt, hence why Barcelona offered so much for him.

In his twelve appearances this term, he has picked up five goals and created four assists. The playmaker has also been awarded the man of the match award four times, more than another Liverpool player.

Philippe has shown when on the park, he doesn’t suffer from any distractions and he’s not bringing any transfer woes onto the field of play.

That means that he has once again become an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s team and style. His performances in a Reds shirt have justified the German boss and his board’s decision not to sell the player when Barca were offering over a £100m!

In August, Klopp came out and stated his club didn’t need to sell Coutinho at any price and that keeping the team’s balance was the most important thing:

‘From a financial standpoint, there is no price limit to let him go or a price that we are ready to give in,’

‘Our goal is to have the best possible team. So we want to keep our guys and add new ones. That is our plan.’

it was a statement that tightened the manager’s grip on the squad, enhanced his club’s reputation and it ultimately kept the supporters happy!

Now I’m thinking that La Liga side will come back in with another huge bid in the winter transfer window but I also believe Liverpool will once again knock back their advances.

If Liverpool want to challenge in the Champions League and finish again in the Premier League’s top four, then they will need to keep hold of their best players and Philippe Coutinho certainly falls into the category. He is one of the stars in the team that can unlock defences or score vital goals in the bigger games. He is a player that influences those he plays with, scares the opposition and who excites the fans at Anfield.

The club don’t need to sell him, as we already know his contract isn’t running out any time soon. The benefits of keeping him, at least until the summer, and meeting the season’s targets are worth more to the football club than making a quick profit on the midfielder.

It’s also worth remembering that the player himself has big aspirations to star in next summer’s World Cup with Brazil, so I wouldn’t be expecting Coutinho to have another hissy fit if he isn’t sold in January as he can’t afford to be frozen out of the Liverpool first team for any prolonged period.

With all that in mind, I’m pretty sure Liverpool will keep hold of their special number ten and for him to shine in the closing months of the season too. It makes no sense for the club to entertain any bids and it makes no sense for Philippe to make a fuss and rile up his fanbase in Merseyside.

If he needs reminding, this is what the playmaker said when he signed that new contract earlier in the year:

“It gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day. I am very thankful to this football club for everything.”

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