“If Lallana was fit, I think this deal would have happened.”
Joey Barton has offered his two cents on the Philippe Coutinho situation, but we doubt many Liverpool fans will agree with the former Manchester City midfielder.
Barcelona want to sign Coutinho and the Brazilian wants to join them. However, Liverpool aren’t prepared to sell him. The club have rejected three bids for their star player, the latest on Friday was worth a potential £118m.
That offer from Barcelona was heavily incentive based. Liverpool would have received a guaranteed payment of £82.1m, and £36.5m would have been paid based on the Brazilian’s performance during his time at the Nou Camp. So, if Coutinho reached certain milestones, such as winning the Ballon d’Or or the Champions League, only then would Barcelona have been obliged to pay the entire £118m.
“That's a ridiculous thing to say” https://t.co/BPC92Mxzb2
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 20, 2017
Despite the offer appearing not as good as it seemed at first glance, Barton reckons Liverpool should take the money and reinvest it in the squad.
“I think they should sell Coutinho,” Barton told talkSPORT.
“There is talk of getting Julian Draxler from PSG, there is talk of Riyad Mahrez and Virgil van Dijk… if they can get rid of Coutinho and buy two of three players, it no doubt improves them as a squad. Coutinho on his own, yes he makes a massive difference to Liverpool, but they need to strengthen in other areas. They can’t be all about Coutinho. If [Adam] Lallana was fit, I think this deal would have happened.”
While there is some merit in Liverpool replacing the Brazilian with a player such as Draxler, the extra money from the potential Coutinho transfer would not make it easier for the club to sign Van Dijk or Naby Keita, another player Jurgen Klopp has tried to sign this summer.
Money was not a factor in their failure to sign both players, as Southampton and RB Leipzig simply would not do business with Liverpool. Klopp could improve his squad with several players signed with the funds from the potential sale of Coutinho, but probably not in this window. So, we doubt Liverpool fans will agree with Barton’s take. September 1 can’t come soon enough for Klopp’s side.
