Tottenham Hotspur were linked with Philippe Coutinho in 2019.
Tottenham Hotspur wanted a new playmaker last summer, seemingly aware that Christian Eriksen’s time at the club was ultimately coming to an end.
Paulo Dybala was linked close to the August deadline, but it was compatriot Giovani Lo Celso who joined instead, arriving on loan with a view to a permanent move from Real Betis.
Another name strongly linked with a move to North London was Philippe Coutinho, as Mauricio Pochettino seemingly targeted a reunion with the Brazilian.
Pochettino worked with Coutinho at Espanyol, and then tried to bring him to Southampton in 2013 before being pipped by Liverpool.
Coutinho was just 18 months removed from a £146million move to Barcelona, but was already available – and Tottenham were touted as a real suitor.
However, no deal materialised, and Coutinho moved on to Bayern Munich instead, where he has notched nine goals and eight assists but looks unlikely to sign full-time.
The topic of his Tottenham links has cropped up again recently, as SPORT claimed earlier this month that Coutinho actually agreed to join Spurs, but the deal fell apart at the last minute.
Now, agent Kia Joorabchian has suggested to The Mirror that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is not to blame for the deal falling apart and Coutinho has no personal issue with him, claiming finances were not the reason for Coutinho heading elsewhere – which may leave Spurs fans wondering what happened, especially with The Mirror claiming that it was Pochettino who scrapped the deal.
“Philippe Coutinho has no personal issue with Daniel Levy and claims otherwise are totally false,” said Joorabchian. “The deal did not collapse due to financial reasons,” he added.
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