Philippe Coutinho looks set for a fresh start at Barcelona having struggled in Catalonia to date.
The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the biggest transfer flops in recent years for the Blaugrana, commanding a fee of €135million only to do his best work away from Camp Nou since then.
Coutinho has made just 64 La Liga appearances for Barcelona, scoring 15 times, but during his time at the club he has won a Champions League with Bayern during a loan spell.
In the 29-year-old’s defence, injuries have not helped. He spent much of last season out with a serious injury and only now has he returned to fitness.
Ahead of his return, it was thought Coutinho would be sold this summer, but it no longer looks as though that will be the case.
According to Mundo Deportivo, amid a lack of attractive offers and the departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona are hoping to finally get the best out of Coutinho.
It’s reported the Catalan club are hoping he can become a leader in the current squad and form part of the post-Messi era.
That’s some turnaround after Coutinho was all-but deemed dead wood in Barcelona’s bid to clear salary mass this summer.
Though, the Brazilian will likely welcome the opportunity to finally prove himself in the Blaugrana having had such a torrid time since his 2018 arrival.
Coutinho is a very good player whose crime in Barcelona is that he isn’t Xavi or Iniesta. Cherish how special those players were. along with Messi, because now you’re back to mere mortals.
Coutinho will turn the ball over a few times every game as all ball-carriers do (watch an Eden Hazard game, not just the highlights, Coutinho is better than him) but you trade off turnovers 70-80 meters away from your goal in exchange for creating a few prime scoring chances every game.