The mentality of reported Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham target Philippe Coutinho has been called into question, with Giovane Elber suggesting that the Brazil international gets ‘shaken very easily’ on the pitch in conversation with Goal.
Are the days of natural number tens like this coming to an end?
It is surely no coincidence that Coutinho, James Rodriguez and Mario Gotze, three of the planet’s most coveted stars not so long ago, are all facing uncertain futures heading into the summer transfer window.
The rapid rise of high-octane, high-pressing football favoured by Jurgen Klopp appears to have moved the beautiful game towards an era of hard-working, all-action central midfielders, leaving enigmatic talents like Coutinho and co looking somewhat antiquated.
Nevertheless, there is still plenty of interest in a player whose transfer value has dropped almost by half over the last two years, with Barcelona reportedly demanding £70 million for his signature.
BleacherReport claims that Everton, Spurs and Leicester City are interested, while Coutinho’s desire to return to the Premier League could open the door to a shock move to Arsenal (Sun).
However Elber, the Bayern Munich legend, is not convinced by what he has seen from a fellow Brazilian during a mixed loan spell in Bavaria.
“I think he’s a person who gets shaken very easily when things aren’t going so well. He’s not a person who thinks, ‘I’m Philippe Coutinho and I’m going to fix this,” Elber says.
“There are people who think ‘I’m going to nail this game’ and there are others that get shaken. I think Coutinho lacks some aggression. It’s a shame because he’s a great player.”
Metropoles reports that Newcastle United have identified the former Liverpool talisman as the dream signing as they close in on a shiny new era under a Saudi billionaire.
If Coutinho can rediscover the golden touch from his Anfield heyday, there is no reason why he cannot make critics like Elber eat their words.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
