A Premier League return looks inevitable for Barcelona’s Bayern Munich loanee Philippe Coutinho – what about West Ham United or Wolverhampton Wanderers?
Stan Collymore has tipped Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and West Ham United this summer, before telling The Mirror (28 April, page 47) that the Brazilian is massively ‘overrated’.
It is almost laughable now to suggest that, back in January 2018, Liverpool fans were fretting about the departure of their star player, wondering whether it would ruin their chances of success or silverware.
After all, since that ill-fated £142 million move to the Camp Nou, Coutinho’s star has fallen considerably. He is unwanted at Barcelona and struggling for game time on loan at Bayern Munich and, all the while, Liverpool continue to go from strength to strength in his absence.
A return to the Premier League looks like only a matter of time but it seems that an A-list footballer will be forced to take a step back and join, with all due respect, a B-list club.
Everton, Leicester City and Newcastle United have been linked with the £240,000-a-week Coutinho, who’s price-tag has fallen to somewhere in the region of £70 million (BleacherReport).
And Collymore, while confident that the Samba star could stand out at an Everton or a West Ham, is not surprised to see some of Europe’s bonafide giants turn their back.
“The Brazilian would help an Everton, a West Ham or possibly Wolves – tier-two Premier League clubs. He’d put bums on seats and sell the notion to supporters that their club is working hard to break into the Champions League,” says the ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa striker.
“But he’s not going to help a team that is already there get any better, because he is one of the most overrated attacking midfielders in the game.
“In 90 per cent of matches, he actually offers very little in terms of taking a game by the scruff of it’s neck. He is a flat track bully, the player who scores a couple of wondergoals in a 5-0 rout when most of the work has been done.”
Collymore has a point.
Coutinho is the icing on the cake. But he is not the jam in the middle.
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