Would signing Naby Keita make up for losing Philippe Coutinho?
By David Gate
Liverpool are doing everything they can to bring RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita to Anfield. Would his transfer make up for losing Coutinho to Barcelona or PSG?
Rumors continue to appear from Africa and Germany that Naby Keita wants to move to Liverpool. Some fans are full optimism. Others are cynics hardened by a decade of transfer disappointment. Most are flitting between nervousness and excitement. The key to the transfer seems to be RB Leipzig. He wants to here (yay), we are willing to pay big money (wow) but the club really don’t want to sell (arrrrggh).
While we refresh our twitter feeds for the latest news another story keeps appearing that we don’t want to see; offers for Philippe Coutinho from PSG alongside Barcelona’s continued interest. We all like to think that Coutinho and Keita will line up next to each other against Watford in August for our first Premier League game. Yet in the back of our minds the suspicion lingers that if we do manage to get Naby Keita we could see Coutinho depart shortly after.
The question in that scenario is: Would getting Naby Keita negate losing Philippe Coutinho?
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In some ways it would. If we are to lose our Brazilian maestro then Naby Keita is exactly the kind of target I would want us to get. With so many attacking options it makes sense to get a player who can help a little more defensively. That is where we need the most improvement this season. Nobody wants to watch Coutinho leave but losing him and gaining Salah and Keita leaves us slightly stronger than last year. Yet there in lies the problem.
Incremental improvements from last season are not enough. Chelsea and Spurs were stronger and more consistent and will surely strengthen. The Manchester clubs are going to splurge half a billion between them. Even Everton have made some nice moves. We can’t afford to inch forward while our rivals make strides. Add to that the extra burden of Champions League games and I think swapping Coutinho & Keita leaves us fighting for fourth at best.
Title winners don’t lose their best players before the season starts. League champions are not in the business of giving up world-class players even if they can bring in a replacement. Winners add winners. If we sign Keita and have serious intentions of winning the Premier League there is no way we can let Philippe Coutinho leave.