Coutinho gone. 142m

[gkmacca]

I really truly do not understand why we did it now, basically we announced the end of any ambition we had for this season... weird stuff.
.

It's beginning to sound like some bloke whining that he can't understand why his wife left him before Christmas, rather than staying around until the New Year. Coutinho was determined to leave. I guess they could've shot him in the legs, or blackmailed him, or locked him in an office, but the reality is he wouldn't stay.

 

[Windom Earle]

The club took a tough stance and gave themselves a few months to change his mind, but it was obviously already made up.

Well done Liverpool for not immediately bending over in summer and for getting an acceptable fee now. Well done Coutinho for putting in a good shift this year once he'd gotten himself 'fit' again.


He's goes now on the closest thing we'll get to 'our' terms.

Onwards for both.

 

[SummerOnions]

Sachin Nakrani‏Verified account @SachinNakrani 11m11 minutes ago

A couple of key bits from my chat with @JBurtTelegraph: *Liverpool not interested in Riyad Mahrez - so turn your attention away from that. *Liverpool working on an "interesting" target to replace Coutinho. Not a name that is out there.

Sadface

 

[keniget]

Who is Sachin and who is Jason?

 

[Tinto]

FSG should be aware there will be fucking riots if we do not finish top four, I for one was looking forward to a good cup run and a decent effort at the CL but we have definitely weakened and I honestly find it baffling.

Are we weaker overall though?

Our attack is for sure. No doubt. Coutinho was a big goal threat plus our best (short) passer. We also lost a goal threat from direct free kicks.

But with VVD coming in, our defense should be stronger. Plus we have someone who is genuinely good in the air and gained a goal threat from indirect free kicks and corners.

Our team is definitely better balanced now but weaker overall? Not sure.

 

[Frogfish]

Keira + VVD = 140m its already spent

We were in for both VVD and Keita before Barca had even made their interest in Coutinho known last Summer and those (+Oxlade) match up well with the purported 150m + sales we had as our budget. For next Summer (or this January) there is now the £142m Coutinho fee + PL 2017/18 + CL 2017/18. I don't think we are short of cash and I don't think we have used the Coutinho money for anything (especially since all those deals were done before Coutinho's sale).

 

[doctor_mac]

I think we are relatively weak up front. If Firmino were to get injured we would be up shit creek. We need someone able to lead the line and to act as a pivot between our wider attacking forwards. Ings is on his way and wasn't getting a sniff anyway and Solanke needs time to develop. He doesn't look ready.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Are we weaker overall though?

Our attack is for sure. No doubt. Coutinho was a big goal threat plus our best (short) passer. We also lost a goal threat from direct free kicks.

But with VVD coming in, our defense should be stronger. Plus we have someone who is genuinely good in the air and gained a goal threat from indirect free kicks and corners.

Our team is definitely better balanced now but weaker overall? Not sure.

Then you're insane. Currently, swapping VVD for Coutinho (which is effectively what we've done if we don't buy now) makes us a lesser side for the rest of the season.

How you could dispute that is utterly beyond me.

 

[mark1975]

He was contracted. He can down tools, blah blah, but the reality is he was contacted and it does put the ball more or less in Liverpool's favour. We kept him in the Summer to try "convince" him to stay and for all of our great attacking verve, with him as the catalyst and a great manager in charge, it didn't work. Which is a sad indictment of where we are, but I don't buy that we couldn't keep him until the Summer.

As Ryan said earlier, it doesn't make sense for anyone, other than for him to get his family over there sooner rather than later and for him to bed in. He's out the CL squad, they've got the league more or less bagged. He could have given us to the end of the season and we could have pushed for it.

You're not telling me there wasn't scope for us to say he could have his move, but on our terms. Once again we've put ourselves in a position where we've accepted defeat more or less from the off. We did it with Suarez when we turned down the bid from Arsenal, we accepted then he was going, but on our terms. We're mugs when it comes to losing big name players and if we haven't got a plan in place to try to replace part of what we've lost, then the shit will hit the fan when the results don't come. Though I guess that will somehow be excused too, which is ridiculous really.

Call if fucking whining or whatever you want, but we'll come back here when the results go awry and we'll see if the "whining" was justified. Not that there will be much point, because people will still continue to try to polish a turd and find some non-existent bright side.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

We did it now because Coutinho was effectively downing tools for the second time, and players and management were being negatively affected by it. There’s no other rational explanation. Even doing the deal now and waiting until the summer would have been massively sub-optimal for us, because he would not have had any incentive to play with any intensity. Yes it’s a WC year, but even if Coutinho played like shite for the rest of the season, there’s zero chance he wouldn’t be part of the seleçåo. Klopp basically said we have to end this saga now. Coutinho and his “back injury” bullshit.
I do agree though that it looks like this has been in the works for a few weeks because it concluded too swiftly otherwise. As such, I feel the same as the rest of you though - if we haven’t being aggressively looking at a direct replacement, or to strengthen in the GK, DM or striker roles then we are dickheads.

 

[doctor_mac]

if we haven’t being aggressively looking at a direct replacement, or to strengthen in the GK, DM or striker roles then we are dickheads.

Yup. Let's all pray to our preferred deity that something is in the pipeline. I'm vacillating between being certain some fab player is on his way, to utter conviction that we won't see anyone else arrive in the transfer window.

 

[Tinto]

Then you're insane. Currently, swapping VVD for Coutinho (which is effectively what we've done if we don't buy now) makes us a lesser side for the rest of the season.

How you could dispute that is utterly beyond me.

We have a good attack with or without Coutihno though. Is it better with Coutihno? Of course it is. If it was up to me I wouldn't have sold him this window or sold him without a quality replacement.

We don't really have a good defense. For me it depends a lot on what kind of impact VVD has on us. If he ends being worth the money, then we might not be weaker overall: weaker attacking wise, better defensively.

 

[SummerOnions]

Who is Sachin and who is Jason?

One's Guardian, one's Telegraph. Both considered to know more than blag websites, I think

 

[doctor_mac]

One's Guardian, one's Telegraph. Both considered to know more than blag websites, I think

Though neither are really in the inner sanctum of journos with very close ties to the club. When Maddock, Joyce or Reddy starts opining on transfer targets it is time to pay close attention.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Though neither are really in the inner sanctum of journos with very close ties to the club. When The Firm, Maddock, Joyce or Reddy starts opining on transfer targets it is time to pay close attention.

Edited for accuracy.

 

[Atlas]

 

[Woland]

Haha. I hope he spent it on a sightseeing flight near Sydney.

 

[C/O]

There's no way that little twat has €15 milly.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

How is this even possible? Ferraris for all his entourage

 

[Woland]

Klopp is currently 40 million in net surplus while the club is making a fortune off donuts and bank cards. If we don't go and get a replacement this window I will personally hunt down and kill everyone respsonible for turning this club into Arsenal.

 

[Frogfish]

We should buy a striker. Once we have Keita, I don't think coutinho is as needed, in his deeper role, when we are playing very defensive teams. If we don't think we can replace him now, we should try to flog Sturridge, and bring in quality, as Solanke is clearly not ready. We could also consider bringing in a central midfielder, since can is off, Henderson is perpetually injured, and everyone is unconvincing.

Consider bringing in a CM ?! CM is just about the prime priority at it stands. We have Hendo, Milner, Can and Gini. Not enough strength and not enough quality. Can is off (no real loss apart from a squad player), Hendo is perma-injured, Milner in his last season or two and Gini shouldn't be more than a backup. We need two more high quality CMs to partner Keita (or one plus a DM but we know Klopp doesn't do DMs).

 

[Farkmaster]

Consider bringing in a CM ?! CM is just about the prime priority at it stands. We have Hendo, Milner, Can and Gini. Not enough strength and not enough quality. Can is off (no real loss apart from a squad player), Hendo is perma-injured, Milner in his last season or two and Gini shouldn't be more than a backup. We need two more high quality CMs to partner Keita (or one plus a DM but we know Klopp doesn't do DMs).

Yes of course we have to do it, but I'm talking about what is necessary this window.

 

[Frogfish]

Yes of course we have to do it, but I'm talking about what is necessary this window.

I'd suggest that even in this window our strength in depth (and starting) in midfield is far below that in both attack and now defence and should be the priority. We simply have no high quality there at all. Such a pity we can't get Keita in now for a premium, hopefully we are still trying regardless of what RBL have said so far.

 

[The Nomad]

Coutinho... Or Nike? To make any court case go away...

 

[FoxForceFive]

How is this even possible? Ferraris for all his entourage

Possibly used it to add to the upfront fee that Henry was so insistent upon, which he'll no doubt get back from Barca through wages bump or when it was originally agreed to in the initial bid.

Makes sense.

 

[FoxForceFive]

There's no way that little twat has €15 milly.

Almost all players put approx 40% of their wages & all of their signing on fees into various savings accounts.

It's not hard to imagine he could get it in cash or a low interest loan based upon his portfolio & guaranteed payment coming from Barca to replace it.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Consider bringing in a CM ?! CM is just about the prime priority at it stands. We have Hendo, Milner, Can and Gini. Not enough strength and not enough quality. Can is off (no real loss apart from a squad player), Hendo is perma-injured, Milner in his last season or two and Gini shouldn't be more than a backup. We need two more high quality CMs to partner Keita (or one plus a DM but we know Klopp doesn't do DMs).

Kehl & Bender at Dortmund suggests he does actually do so.

 

[moron]

I'd suggest that even in this window our strength in depth (and starting) in midfield is far below that in both attack and now defence and should be the priority. We simply have no high quality there at all. Such a pity we can't get Keita in now for a premium, hopefully we are still trying regardless of what RBL have said so far.

Absolutely correct - that midfield area is actually our problem and has been for a long time. Having Coutinho in that area gave us great creativity but certainly less defensive. So we need to get someone in that position who is quality and able to read a game very well. We have essentially lost a magician in midfield and now need to either replace with a magician (not gonna happen) or replace with a standard but solid CM - who is about world class !!!

 

[Woland]

Keita. Just throw an extra fuckload at them for these extra few months.

And Mahrez. Who is basically Phil but a bit better.

 

[SummerOnions]

Keita. Just throw an extra fuckload at them for these extra few months.

And Mahrez. Who is basically Phil but a bit better.

I actually think not signing Mahrez is more stupid than selling Coutinho