BarcelonaJust as Barça lost the north in 2017 to sign Philippe Coutinho, now the club is desperate to get rid of him. The Brazilian striker has not curdled the team, neither when the coach was Ernesto Valverde nor when it was Ronald Koeman. Now, with Sergi Barjuan as interim coach, Coutinho only played a few minutes against Alava and to urgently replace Kun Agüero. In Kiev, on the other hand, it did not even heat up. And once Xavi takes the helm of the team, he is not expected to have much presence on the pitch. Barça are looking for a way out. In fact, he already tried, unsuccessfully, to leave in the summer. Do you choose it? The usual, an astronomical salary that is not available to almost anyone. And less if you are not giving the size.
Whistled and questioned by the Camp Nou, Coutinho has gone from being a star to being a nuisance. He has also not been helped by long-term injuries, especially the one he suffered in the meniscus last year, which left him eight months without playing. Only with Koeman did he have the confidence of the coach. So much so that, with the Dutchman on the bench, he often saw a custom-built team built for him to shine. He never got to do it. Last season he was able to play 14 games, score 3 goals and give up two assists. This year he has played 11 games and scored a single goal. According to the specialized portal Transfermarkt, its market value has gone from 150 million in 2017 to 20 today.
The only way to be strong right now is to play easy football. ”
Sergi Barjuan Barça interim coach
Despite his temporary condition, Sergi spoke with the Rio de Janeiro footballer to try to give him a hand before traveling to Kiev. He explained that he too had been whistled at and that, in his opinion, the solution was not to squeeze the most out of his skills, but quite the opposite: to take a step back. “The only way to get strong right now is to make it easy. And when you get strong mentally again, you’ll find the time to be different,” the Franchises coach pointed out in the Dinamo preview. A message as simple as it is difficult to fulfill. At the top, there is very little hope of being able to recover the version of Coutinho that Liverpool liked so much.
The failure of the operation
There are different theories in the club to explain Coutinho’s poor performance since he landed in Barcelona. Some talk about the difference in style between what he played for Liverpool and what he played for Barça. Others support the thesis of a mental problem, of not being able to withstand the pressure. In any case, the footballer’s performance has not been as expected, neither when he has played on the wing nor when he has played inside. One of the football arguments used to justify the transfer was that Coutinho came to replace Andrés Iniesta. Seen in perspective, the failure of the operation is resounding.
The 160 million of his signing (120 fixed plus 40 variable) have been too heavy a slab for the Brazilian. Coutinho came to the winter market in the 2017/18 season to supposedly fill the vacancy left by Andrés Iniesta. It was a Barça that had its pockets full after selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million. This was the first problem, which is still dragging on today: Liverpool knew they could tighten the rope and Josep Maria Bartomeu’s management gave in. He didn’t just pay the club red taste and desire, he also filled the footballer’s pockets with a salary that exceeded 20 million a year. At that time, only Luis Suárez and Leo Messi entered more than him. Today, after the non-renewal of the Argentine and the departure of Griezmann, he is the highest paid of the team.
Coutinho is in the showcase for fourth consecutive transfer market
The relations between the footballer and the entity have not been very good either. Coutinho left on loan to Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 season and that year, curiously, he would win the Champions League with the Bavarian club. Moreover, he would score two goals in the fateful 2 to 8 in Lisbon. But despite fattening up his personal resume, the Brazilian was by no means a key piece at Bayern. His role was as a substitute, especially in the key stretch of the season. In the end, the leaders of the Munich club sent him back to Barcelona. Barça was also disgusted, especially by the disproportion between salary and performance. Bartomeu was unable to sell him in the summer of 2020. He was also on the starting ramp this winter, but the meniscus injury frustrated the few options he had to go out. The current president, Joan Laporta, has not made it out in 2021. Barça are playing hard to find a way out in the winter, in the fourth consecutive window in the shop window. Surely in the form of a cession. Now, speaking with confidence, they acknowledge that it will not be easy. And less if the player still does not give up part of his emoluments.
Coutinho, like the other highest paid players, was offered a pay cut. The player objected. On the other hand, Barça did include him in the list of devalued footballers. That is, at the accounting level, all that remained to be amortized from its signing came to be considered directly as losses. Therefore, since its book value is zero, if it could be sold this season, it would generate profits in the 2021/22 accounts. This is the only positive news they expect from Coutinho at Barça, and it is not football.
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