Flashback: Coutinho leaves Liverpool
In January 2018, European giants Barcelona made the incredible swoop for Liverpool’s main man Philippe Coutinho for £142m.
For a long time the Brazilian was expected to make a move to the Catalan club, and for many fans, it was just a case of when rather than if, and after tensions grew between him and manager Jürgen Klopp at Anfield, it was time to move.
The club did well to earn such a sizeable fee, but they were losing a player that had been a consistently high performer for them for a number of years. In 152 Premier League appearances for The Reds, Coutinho managed 41 goals and 35 assists, which is a decent return.
Nonetheless, when it was time to go, the Liverpool fans took it well. While some were angry at the player for leaving when The Reds were in such a good position, many understood why he was leaving and saw it coming. They wished him the best and started planning how they could spend the money.
This is what the fans had to say:
Sadly this was always the obvious outcome… Trust Jurgen’s decision!
— Ian (@ssjChevy) January 6, 2018
Sad day.
— Stuart Chapman (@StuJChapman) 6 January 2018
Disappointed but will still support Coutinho at Barcelona. Fantastic player with so much talent. Thank you Coutinho YNWA
— Chloe Louise (@louise_chloe) 6 January 2018
Very unfortunate, but if you don’t bleed Red, move on.
— Erik Steigen (@ErikSteigen) 6 January 2018
Thanks for all the good memories you have given me. I hope you will respect your contract and your club more at Barcelona.
— MathiaasO (@Matta330) 6 January 2018
— Tom O’Connor (@tomoconnor99) 6 January 2018
So who is Liverpool going to sign from Southampton as the replacement for coutinho ?
— Grumpy Birdie Sanders (@grumpybirdieS) 6 January 2018
I can’t wait until we smash Barcelona out of Europe. Can’t wait.
— Elliot Andrew (@elliotandrew17) 6 January 2018
Imagine selling your best player while in a fight for top 4 and still in the champions league.
— jake (@jakemillmxn) 6 January 2018
Idiocy!
— T (@AGDCLARE) 6 January 2018
Best wishes to Coutinho… Thank you for the magical times… Lfc needs to strengthen… Definitely one who can score from yards…
— Manjit Shrestha (@ManjitShrestha) 7 January 2018
While a period of doom and gloom was expected from the fans after the departure of the midfield maestro, it has been anything but that.
Not only did The Reds make the Champions League final last season, but they have only got better this term, as they are currently top of the Premier League and into the next round of the Champions League.
What’s better is that the money from the Coutinho sale gave the funding to land huge signings like Alisson and Fabinho at Anfield. Liverpool have never looked back since the Brazilian left.