Ian Wright claims that Barcelona made the worst transfer off all time when they bought Philippe Coutinho off Liverpool, as per his comments on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
Barca paid a staggering £142 million to sign Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018 (BBC Sport), but since his move to the Nou Camp things have not gone according to plan for the Brazilian.
Coutinho was once the star of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side and their key creative force.
But he has struggled to find a role in Barca’s side, and has seen him game time limited in recent years.
Coutinho was actually loaned out to Bayern Munich last year, where he won the Champions League – and helped the German side to an 8-2 aggregate win over Barca in the process.
And Wright said: “One of the maddest things I’ve seen is Coutinho playing for Bayern, winning the Champions League and then going back to Barcelona.”
It was then put to Wright that the deal with Liverpool is surely the worst transfer of all time, by co-host Musa Okwonga.
“That has to be the worst transfer of all time, just in terms of the amount spent, the 8-2 capped it off, it’s the worst transfer of all time.” he said.
And Wright agreed: “Easily, surely. Easily!”
Liverpool were actually gutted to lose Coutinho at the time, but looking back now the deal looks like a masterstroke from Michael Edwards.
Liverpool used the funds raised from the deal to bring in the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, and became a much stronger team for it.
Coutinho, meanwhile, continues to struggle, with Barca performing well below expectations this term.
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