Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher would support the idea of his former club bringing back winger Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian left Anfield in a very ugly, long protracted transfer saga, signing with Barcelona for £105 million (which in add-ons rose to £142m) in January of 2018.
Unfortunately for Coutinho and Barca, he’s been a flop at the Camp Nou, and he has not come even remotely close to loving up to his hefty price tag. He had a truly dismal showing against the Reds in both legs of their UCL semifinal tie defeat, and that, reportedly, was the final straw in terms of sealing his exit.
Carragher doesn’t believe that Liverpool should make bringing Coutinho back a high priority, but he’s in favor of the idea.
“I wouldn’t say I would be actively going to get him, but if there was a possibility of bringing Coutinho back for decent money, and Barca wanted to cut their losses a little bit because it hasn’t worked out, then I’d do that,” the former club captain is quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
Jamie Carragher is unsure of how the Barcelona man would be received this time at Anfield.
“Would he be welcomed back? I’m not sure. But he should be. I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be. I know he got a little bit of stick when he came back (with Barcelona for the Champions League semifinal earlier this month) because he wanted to move, but (Xabi) Alonso wanted to move to Real Madrid, (Luis) Suarez wanted to move to Barcelona, and we still loved them when they went,” Carragher continued.
“Sometimes we pick and choose who we love when they leave. Nobody forced any player to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona, (Javier) Mascherano is another one. Suarez only got stick when he came back because of his antics in the first game (against Liverpool), if he hadn’t done that then he’d be adored when he came back. What’s the difference between him and Coutinho?”
Coutinho, who has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, could probably be had for a smaller transfer than the last time he moved.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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