SkySports pundit adamant Liverpool wouldn’t be able to sign German-based attacker

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Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool for Spanish side Barcelona in 2018.

Phil Thompson has made it clear that Liverpool ‘need’ a Philippe Coutinho type player to help them ‘unlock’ defences next season but he’s adamant a deal for the player wouldn’t happen.

During the January transfer window of 2018, Coutinho left Liverpool and signed for Spanish giants Barcelona for a mammoth £142 million [BBC Sport] – money which allowed the club to sign Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

Whilst Liverpool have won the European Cup and are heading towards their first Premier League title in 30 years, it seems as though that they need more spice in the middle of the park.

Speaking to Sky Sports News (14/03/20 at 12:15 pm), Thompson believes teams will now sit back a lot more on Liverpool next season, so they need a Coutinho-like player to help them break up such ‘packed defences’. 

“I would still think we need another striker,” Thompson told Sky Sports. “And maybe a little bit more backup for Andy Robertson. We are not too bad at centre-back. 

“I would like to think we are well blessed in midfield with a lot of players. I don’t think the Coutinho one would ever come off again to come back. But it is that sort of player that we actually need to unlock defences. Packed defences. 

“It’s like every game we watch now, and it’ll happen from the start of next season, it’ll be blanket defence and trying to hit Liverpool on the counter. So, you need someone to unlock defences. Maybe that creative midfield player, but certainly a striker. Hopefully, nobody thinks of moving that is also a talking point also.” 

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Given Coutinho’s relationship with the Liverpool fans, if he were to return, they would welcome him back. But given how his form has dipped since leaving Anfield, they are perhaps better off moving for another player. 

During his 152 Premier League games for the Reds, he scored 41 goals and supplied his teammates with 37 assists [transfermarkt]. By contrast, in La Liga, he has scored 18 goals and provided 8 assists from 68 matches.

Whilst Coutinho has struggled at Barcelona, and is now on-loan at Bayern Munich, he perhaps will be regretting leaving Anfield because they have become the best team in the world ever since he walked through the Merseyside exit door.