As Barcelona prepare to up their bid for Philippe Coutinho we look at the case for and against selling our Brazilian midfielder.
Until last week there really was no desire from any of our fanbase to sell Philippe Coutinho. A transfer request and phantom back injury later and there are now many who are willing to let him go. It would have been unthinkable in June that by mid-August there would be a sizable portion of Liverpool fans advocating his sale. But here we are.
So here are the cases for and against selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona:
The Case For Selling Coutinho:
The biggest argument for letting him leave is that he wants to go. We all knew he would like to play for Barcelona. But it wasn’t until the transfer request came that we realized that he also wants to leave Liverpool. He is willing to burn bridges with, club, manager and fans to get his dream. Do we really want to keep a player who would do that?
Jurgen Klopp places huge emphasis on team spirit and harmony. The teamwork element of his tactics and gregarious nature only work when the players are willing. Coutinho’s stance sucks the life out of the dressing room. You can feel its effects on the pitch.
Another reason we should sell is that other players are watching what we do. Is Emre Can going to sign a new contract knowing that Liverpool will refuse a dream move for him in the future? Also, as Rory Smith of the New York Times points out, other South American’s will be put off coming here if they feel there is no road that leads to Barca or Real Madrid.
I literally cannot imagine a better pitch to young South Americans than: come here for three years, shine, and move to Barca or Real.
— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) August 9, 2017
The timing from a financial perspective is also a plus. Transfer fees have rocketed this window and the presumption is they will rise again next year. However, Barcelona have the Neymar money now. If they are willing to give most of it, say £120 million, for Coutinho that is a pretty good deal for us. It is only the vast amount of Neymar’s transfer that makes it feel less.
If you have been saying all summer that Southampton should let Virgil van Dijk go and RB Leipzig should release Naby Keita, it makes sense that we do the same for Coutinho. Every club sells players, often their best ones. If it the benefits outweigh the downsides we should be open to letting him go.