Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move away from Merseyside for well over a month, with the likes of Barcelona and PSG reportedly showing interest. However, the midfielder has put all exit talk to rest and reiterated his commitment to the Reds.
Brazil crashed out of the Copa America following a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Peru on Monday. The early exit means that Philippe Coutinho returns to Liverpool early following his four week lay-off and could play a part in the Reds’ tour of the United States.
Following an impressive season with Liverpool, Coutinho carried over his form into the Copa America, finishing as Brazil’s top scorer with three goals. The highlight of his tournament was his dazzling hat-trick in his side’s 7-1 demolition of Haiti in their second group encounter. If anything, his performance with the Selecao in the competition has only generated more interest among potential suitors and has even instigated senior team-mates like Dani Alves and Filipe Luis to persuade the youngster to join Spain’s top clubs.
However, with his future at the club subject to immense speculation following interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, Coutinho has reaffirmed his commitment to Liverpool, stating that he enjoys playing under German boss Jurgen Klopp. With Liverpool adamant that their two-time Player of the Season isn’t for sale, the 24-year-old has played down possibilities of an exit at this point in time.
The Brazilian is quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying, “I am grateful for everything Liverpool has done for me. Am I happy there working under Klopp? It’s clear, he’s great.”
The news comes as a relief for the Reds, who were left sweating at the prospect of losing their star player when there were reports early on that Ligue 1 winners PSG were readying a big money bid for Coutinho.
How big a news is this for Liverpool?
Ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s first full season in charge, Liverpool have been handicapped in their pursuit of big names like Mario Gotze due to their inability to offer Champions League football. As such, the former Dortmund manager will know that the Reds will have to hold on to a player of Coutinho’s quality and build a team around him if his side are to meet his ambitions of domestic and European success.
The Reds do not have too many players in their ranks that can match the little magician’s level of brilliance and proficiency, and hence they cannot afford to lose their talisman this summer. Even from Coutinho’s perspective, him staying on could be a beneficial move as the Brazilian still has a lot of potential left to unlock and has to establish a level of consistency to his performances if he is to go on to become among the best in the world.
The 24-year-old is as capable of going missing in big encounters as he is of pulling off a match-winning performance. That said, with a manager like Klopp at the club who has developed some immense talent at Dortmund in the past, Coutinho is likely to improve staying on at Liverpool and working under the German’s guidance.
