Philippe Coutinho

[Castia]

Where' that talk?

While I agree that Coutinho and Paulinho can't replace Neymar, then in fairness, who can? Who could Barcelona buy that could really replace the third best player in the world?

Some might say Griezmann, but considering there's been almost no talk of him going, it seems that either he or the club isn't interested. And besides, he isn't as good anyway.

The talk is on the back pages, Liverpool rejected £113m already apparently.

I'm not even gonna discuss what players you could buy with a 200m budget, I'll just say it wouldn't be Paulinho, Deuelefeu and Coutinho. Feck me just typing that makes me cringe, awful business I can't see how anyone could argue otherwise.

They can't replace like for like I agree Neymar is world class but you could do better than Coutinho. There's a long list of top young attacking players out there, they should have the budget to sign anyone.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Your point about about contracts is not quite true, contracts are not, nor should they be a binding document forever. It is a legal document between two entities, what is interesting is that in many commercial contracts you would have some form of "exit clause". Without any form of exit clause it means a player is effectively tying themselves into a situation they cannot control, expecially if a court ever looked at it and decided that players don't have an option to continue playing without any form of exit and they are being put in a situation where they are under pressure to sign a five year contract.

We will either see a change in contracts or what players will sign up for.

That is my point though, clubs often demand from players long contract with no release clause or a prohibitively high one. This put the players in a difficult situation since they have to resort to trickery to get their transfer when under such contract. The alternative is signing a short term deal with reduced wage that doesn't fairly reflect their contribution or running down their pre-existing contract, knowing they might lose out on a lot financially if they get a bad injury.

The whole system is a sham, exacerbated by the financial stake involved in the game presently. In that environment, demanding the players to 'honor' their contracts essentially means violating their rights to choose who to work for. It is what it is, my problem is with the misguided indignation and hypocrisy.

 

[Redcy]

That is my point though, clubs often demand from players long contract with no release clause or a prohibitively high one. This put the players in a difficult situation since they have to resort to trickery to get their transfer when under such contract. The alternative is signing a short term deal with reduced wage that doesn't fairly reflect their contribution or running down their pre-existing contract, knowing they might lose out on a lot financially if they get a bad injury.

The whole system is a sham, exacerbated by the financial stake involved in the game presently. In that environment, demanding the players to 'honor' their contracts essentially means violating their rights to choose who to work for. It is what it is, my problem is with the misguided indignation and hypocrisy.

Agreed, I think we were agreeing without realising it

 

[Trikie]

Barcelona are keen to sign reinforcements after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and have highlighted both Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele as potential replacements at Camp Nou.
However, after seeing a number of bids rejected by Liverpool, Barcelona have now issued the Reds a deadline of 7pm on Sunday afternoon to accept their latest offer, according to Balague.
"We reported on Friday that Liverpool had rejected the third offer from Barcelona and an email was sent back [to Liverpool] from Barcelona saying, 'okay, you rejected that - if you don't accept it I must tell you that there is a deadline of today, Sunday - 7pm. Otherwise we withdraw the offer'," said Balague.
"I think Liverpool have got no intention of answering that email from Barcelona, which in theory means that's the end of that.

Really?
I bet we are worried now

 

[giorno]

Arsenal and Spurs were bullied with Fabregas and Bale in the same way Van Persie to United was. It had nothing to do with them being the Spanish giants and more to do with them being higher on the food chain (wages and trophies). When an English club or any other club for that matter can offer similar wages and chances of the best trophies, they are never bullied. The fact is since the turn of the century, only 2 or 3 transfers fit that criteria; Ronaldo to Real and Neymar to PSG, maybe Figo to Real counts too. Those were the only transfers where a a club that can offer as much money and chances to win trophies as anyone lost a player they wanted to keep.

Zidane to madrid(though Moggi always said the moment he heard Perez wanted Zidane he was ready to sell, knowing Perez would pay whatever figure he named), Sheva to chelsea(again, Berlusconi was happy to sell, but had to play the "can't compete financially, player wants to leave" card for political reasons), Zlatan to Barcelona, Kaka to madrid(same story as Sheva)

Btw, don't think this is happening at this point. Barcelona don't want to pay silly figures for both dembele and coutinho, and with dembele they know dortmund are ready to sell at their price, while liverpool on the other hand aren't even answering the phone...

 

[Theonas]

Zidane to madrid(though Moggi always said the moment he heard Perez wanted Zidane he was ready to sell, knowing Perez would pay whatever figure he named), Sheva to chelsea(again, Berlusconi was happy to sell, but had to play the "can't compete financially, player wants to leave" card for political reasons), Zlatan to Barcelona, Kaka to madrid(same story as Sheva)

Btw, don't think this is happening at this point. Barcelona don't want to pay silly figures for both dembele and coutinho, and with dembele they know dortmund are ready to sell at their price, while liverpool on the other hand aren't even answering the phone...

I don't see how any of those examples refute my original point and you seem to think so too considering you yourself point out to the context of those transfers. Inter were never in a million years on the same planet as Barcelona in the late '00s and early '10s in terms of quality as a team and wage structure. When Kaka left AC Milan, again, it was a team that was no longer competing financially and looking at their record at the time, one could argue, on the trophy front as well. Prestigious clubs lose players all the time, I never disputed that. I disputed the idea that Barcelona and Real can regularly cherry pick whoever they want whenever they want because the facts simply do not support that. When a club can pay similar salaries and compete for the biggest trophies, they do not lose their players. Ronaldo was the only case really until this year with Neymar. Part of that myth is that the Spanish clubs, especially Real are masters at knowing when to pursue a deal and when to get out without it being looked like they failed. This gives the false impression that whoever they chase aggressively ends up there. What I would not argue against however is that if you play for a less club and you happen to be from Latin or South American background, they do remain the number one pick and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

 

[giorno]

I don't see how any of those examples refute my original point and you seem to think so too considering you yourself point out to the context of those transfers. Inter were never in a million years on the same planet as Barcelona in the late '00s and early '10s in terms of quality as a team and wage structure. When Kaka left AC Milan, again, it was a team that was no longer competing financially and looking at their record at the time, one could argue, on the trophy front as well. Prestigious clubs lose players all the time, I never disputed that. I disputed the idea that Barcelona and Real can regularly cherry pick whoever they want whenever they want because the facts simply do not support that. When a club can pay similar salaries and compete for the biggest trophies, they do not lose their players. Ronaldo was the only case really until this year with Neymar. Part of that myth is that the Spanish clubs, especially Real are masters at knowing when to pursue a deal and when to get out without it being looked like they failed. This gives the false impression that whoever they chase aggressively ends up there. What I would not argue against however is that if you play for a less club and you happen to be from Latin or South American background, they do remain the number one pick and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

inter absolutely were on the same planet as barcelona in terms of wage structure at the time. But yes, i agree with your point, was just adding more examples

Btw, the spanish big two are the "dream destination" of south american players right now. They weren't in the 80s and 90s...they may not be in the future either

 

[Triple.Threat]

AS are having fun with the deadline claim.

 

[TheLoveless]

Its' not about money though, is it? Even Barca in their current weakened state have more chances of winning major trophies than Liverpool.

I agree though that signing a contract with no release clause was pretty short sighted on his part. But as this is indeed his chance for a big break, neither he nor the club can be blamed for doing things their way as it is happening now. Both have legitimate grievances/intentions.

Exactly. No it is not only about money. I meant that Coutinho can be happy in Liverpool as well, if he chooses to be. He does earn a lot of money doing exactly what he loves.

 

[Samid]

Would be hilarious if Barca come back with an 80m bid on deadline day which the dippers are forced to accept.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Bored of this link now. It's just going to go on and on until deadline day isn't it?

 

[TheLoveless]

What they will or won't do doesn't interest me. My point remains that it suited both parties for him to sign that contract, so people being up in arms as if he's fecked Pool over is ridiculous. Pool's hardline stance is augmented by the length of that contract, they are not the victim here.

I wasn't after what interested you, my man. It does not seem as it suited both parties in the end however, does it? There is more to it than the length of the contract. I would focus more on the fact that he has only been on it for 1,5 months rather than how long time it is left on it.

A football contract is different from a standard labour contract. If you sign a new contract at your current company and a new opportunity arrives, there's nothing stopping you from compensating them for breaking it and take up the offer. Not the case here, hence all the drama.

This is true. But Countinho and his agent must have known this when the signed the contract. This can be avoided with release clauses. Or a more short term contract. Or why did he sign a contract in january that would start in july? Why didn't he wait out the summer to see if anybody else was interested in his services if he was ready for the next step?

Players pay lip service to the clubs all the time, and vice versa. Holding him to his words is a pointless exercise. They know clubs will have no problem discarding them if they no longer perform. Rio was dumped by Woodward in the dressing room our last game of the season, Rooney turned around and said how he loved the club after signing that big fat contract in 2010, despite essentially saying his teammates were crap days before. It's all part of the deal.

This is all business. There's no victim, no moral highground to be claimed. Barca want a good player at a fair price and are egging him on, Coutinho wants his move and is doing what he can to get it, and Pool are relying on the contract he signed to demand as much money as they can, full stop.

Regarding the first piece I was just trying highlight that it causes a lot of problems for Liverpool to loose Countinho in late july or, as it is now, mid/late august. The inflated price is useless for them. They will probably have to pay more than what they would get for Coutinho for a player of comparable quality, especially this late. They don't want to be perceived by players and other clubs as a selling club either. Thus, whatever we think of Liverpool FC, from a principal point of view me personally understand them.

Last piece, totally agree. That about sums it up.

 

[FCBarca]

Was never the right fit IMHO, pleased if this does not transpire - a good case of an inept board looking likely to botch this one and actually be a good thing

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

I wasn't after what interested you, my man. It does not seem as it suited both parties in the end however, does it? There is more to it than the length of the contract. I would focus more on the fact that he has only been on it for 1,5 months rather than how long time it is left on it..

It suits them just fine, they wouldnt be turning their nose up at 80m if not for that contract. I also don't see why how long he's been on that contract should be an issue, 1.5 months ago Neymar hadn't gone to PSG on that mental deal.

This is true. But Countinho and his agent must have known this when the signed the contract. This can be avoided with release clauses. Or a more short term contract. Or why did he sign a contract in january that would start in july? Why didn't he wait out the summer to see if anybody else was interested in his services if he was ready for the next step?

Why should he be on less money for a move that may or may not happen? You are demanding a remarkable foresight and personal risk from him. Plenty of people have moved job after getting a new contract/pay rise due to personal circumstances, falling out at work, better offers from another company etc... For all we know Pool might have insisted on a 5 years deal and no release clause to give him the wage he wanted, and there are back pay/bonuses that kick in once the contract goes into effect. Neymar's camp is bitching to Barca about that 25m 'loyalty bonus'. We are not privy to the fine print. In a parallel universe where Earth-2 Coutinho signed a 3 years deal and no concrete offer came in, he lost out on 5/6/7m over the length of the contract and possibly more if he gets an injury in his last year, not exactly appealing is it?

To be absolutely clear here, I care little and less about him and his career, but people are criticising him without taking into account the massive power imbalance between an institution like LFC and an individual player. The only conclusion I can draw from it is that non-Pool fans slating him are afraid the same thing will happen to their own club.

 

[Bestietom]

Seems he has handed in a transfer request, so he wants to go..Maybe Liverpool should be looking at players they could bring in with the money they would receive for him.. A 20/25 goals a season CF and a CB and they would be pushing for honours.

This I would not like to see, but If it were to happen, they would be a danger.

The lure of the sun seems to get to these Brazilians...

 

[Oga on top.]

Seems he has handed in a transfer request, so he wants to go..Maybe Liverpool should be looking at players they could bring in with the money they would receive for him.. A 20/25 goals a season CF and a CB and they would be pushing for honours.

This I would not like to see, but If it were to happen, they would be a danger.

The lure of the sun seems to get to these Brazilians...

I really don't trust us to replace him properly if at all, for that reason I'm leaning towards us keeping him. But then nobody knows how he will perform this coming season. On the other hand him leaving may be best for team morale, I read a tweet I'll try and find later where it stated he chose not to attend Anfield on Saturday and he won't be there on Wednesday for CL qualifier. He's a little shit and if/when he goes I hope it pisses down with thunderous rain showers every single day he is there

 

[Rob]

Seems he has handed in a transfer request, so he wants to go..Maybe Liverpool should be looking at players they could bring in with the money they would receive for him.. A 20/25 goals a season CF and a CB and they would be pushing for honours.

This I would not like to see, but If it were to happen, they would be a danger.

The lure of the sun seems to get to these Brazilians...

I'm inclined to agree with you. The thing is though, that we don't seem capable of signing any of our targets other than Salah. If we could in fact get a class CF and CB instead of Coutinho, he should probably be let go. But this late in the window and with two of our three big interests having gone down the sink, I really don't see any other option for the club than to hold on to him.

It's obviously a shame for a guy who want's to play for Barcelona, which is completely understandable, but lets not pretend like he's some kind of victim. He signed a contract in January and gets payed maybe 150.000 pounds a month to play football (I'm not saying you see him as a victim btw, but others seem to do).

In an ideal world he would go to Barcelona and we would sign van Dijk and a 25 goal a season forward. Had Barcelona shown interest in june we would probably have worked something out.

 

[KM]

His behavior has been an actual disgrace tbh. Missing matches and thereby costing his team shouldn't be forgotten by Liverpool fans. But then, all football fans are fickle. A 25yarder goal and everyone will sing his name.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Bored of this link now. It's just going to go on and on until deadline day isn't it?

Good for us and the rest of the league really.

Coutinho keeps not playing with his "bad back" making pool potentially drop points, and they can't sign another star player without the money/space in the squad just incase he doesn't leave.

 

[Sarni]

Where' that talk?

While I agree that Coutinho and Paulinho can't replace Neymar, then in fairness, who can? Who could Barcelona buy that could really replace the third best player in the world?

Some might say Griezmann, but considering there's been almost no talk of him going, it seems that either he or the club isn't interested. And besides, he isn't as good anyway.

Go young would be the best option from here IMO. Messi and Suarez are good enough to keep them at least competitive for the next 2-3 years, add some solid players who are around 30 who can act as supporting cast (Paulinho would be good if it wasn't for the excessive price) but most importantly, look for the next best up and coming 18-22 year old players who can step up in 2-3 years and be the next big thing after Messi and Suarez are done. It's what Real Madrid have done by buying Asensio, Ceballos and a few others, set themselves up for the time when Benzema, Ramos, Modric and Ronaldo will no longer be able to carry the team going forward.

Spending £120m or so on Coutinho is neither here nor there. He's not good enough to make them compete for CL now, he's also not young enough to be the focal point of their team for the next decade (although at 25 he still has plenty left in the tank and is certainly not a short term solution, he's more of a mid-term option than a long-term one) - especially as during that time a lot of players better than him will appear on the stage.

 

[Kurosawa]

I really don't trust us to replace him properly if at all, for that reason I'm leaning towards us keeping him. But then nobody knows how he will perform this coming season. On the other hand him leaving may be best for team morale, I read a tweet I'll try and find later where it stated he chose not to attend Anfield on Saturday and he won't be there on Wednesday for CL qualifier. He's a little shit and if/when he goes I hope it pisses down with thunderous rain showers every single day he is there

Coutinho is an absolute delight. Will welcome him with both arms when this is over.

I would imagine he would have been a lot more excited about the new season if we had shown more intent in the market. Maybe even not handed in the request. I mean what are we communicating when after struggling to make 4th we fail to make some real top signings to elevate us as a team? Are we saying struggling to make 4th is OK? If that's what we are saying, then we cannot expect to entice a player who wants much more than that.

It's very simple
1) Do we believe we are a big club? Yes.
2) Since we are a big club what are our goals for the season? It should be winning the premier league.
3) Have we given ourselves the best chance to do that? The answer to this is no. Amongst our current 11, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Can, Lovren, Moreno, Mignolet can all be upgraded, why haven't we upgrade with less than 2 weeks left of the transfer window?
So why the feck should Coutinho be itching to be here, when we don't even pretend to be a big club in pursuit of trophies?
And the squad Morale bull? Comeon, you think the likes of Firmino, Mane et.c are going to be happy that we are selling our best player?

It's very disheartening to be in a position where we can make a step forward and challenge at the top, but fail to show any ambition. I imagine that's how players will feel.

 

[Sarni]

Coutinho is an absolute delight. Will welcome him with both arms when this is over.

I would imagine he would have been a lot more excited about the new season if we had shown more intent in the market. Maybe even not handed in the request. I mean what are we communicating when after struggling to make 4th we fail to make some real top signings to elevate us as a team? Are we saying struggling to make 4th is OK? If that's what we are saying, then we cannot expect to entice a player who wants much more than that.

It's very simple
1) Do we believe we are a big club? Yes.
2) Since we are a big club what are our goals for the season? It should be winning the premier league.
3) Have we given ourselves the best chance to do that? The answer to this is no. Amongst our current 11, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Can, Lovren, Moreno, Mignolet can all be upgraded, why haven't we upgrade with less than 2 weeks left of the transfer window?
So why the feck should Coutinho be itching to be here, when we don't even pretend to be a big club in pursuit of trophies?
And the squad Morale bull? Comeon, you think the likes of Firmino, Mane et.c are going to be happy that we are selling our best player?

It's very disheartening to be in a position where we can make a step forward and challenge at the top, but fail to show any ambition. I imagine that's how players will feel.

Yeah you've completely slept through the transfer window. You have one extra competition to play in this year and it's not a small one either, and was already short in numbers last year with just Premier League and two domestic cups to play in, yet you've only signed Salah, Robertson and a youngster Solanke. That's really not a huge improvement over a team that finished 4th in the league last season and if you lose Coutinho now, your chances of retaining a top 4 position will be slim to none.

However, I think even if you signed 5 good players this window, Coutinho would still want to leave. When Barcelona comes knocking, players often get unsettled and want to leave immediately, especially if they're from South America.

 

[SER19]

In this case, is what the player is doing all that disgraceful?

He's playing for a mediocre team, that has one league cup in a decade.

They've shown in several transfer windows they simply don't have the appeal to draw top players.

He was bought for a pittance and has performed well.

It's a World Cup year, he's reaching his prime, and one of the biggest clubs in the world, with the best players, makes a move to sign him for an obscene amount of money, far more than he is worth.

Given the timing of it all it is a once in a lifetime move.

If reports are to be believed then he attempted to leave amicably.

Football is a very short career, spending five years At a club is giving them pretty much half of your career. As if any of us would turn down a monumentally better job with better absolutely everything in a deal,which is very fair on our existing employer. He should be allowed to move.

The times I disagree are when the margin between the teams is narrower. For coutinho this move would be the equivalent of racing home made go carts, and be offered the chance to move to formula one. It's absurd to think he'd want to stay

 

[red thru&thru]

Lfc & have had a atrocious transfer window. If I were Lfc I'd sell Coutinho & get the following...

VVD
Mahrez
N'Zonzi
And try the utmost to get Butland.

Obviously not saying it's as easy as that but Lfc knew for a while Coutinho wanted to go so they should have been aware of thei targets and agreed fees before the news broke about Coutinho to Barca.

 

[prtk0811]

clubs often demand from players long contract with no release clause or a prohibitively high one.

Clubs have to pay loyalty bonus to players when they sign one. The players happily take the money and throw a tantrum after the payment is done to push for a move.

 

[Sarni]

In this case, is what the player is doing all that disgraceful?

He's paying for a mediocre team, that has one league cup in a decade.

They've shown in several transfer windows they simply don't have the appeal to draw top players.

He was bought for a pittance and has performed well.

It's a World Cup year, he's reaching his prime, and one of the biggest clubs in the world, with the best players, makes a move to sign him for an obscene amount of money, far more than he is worth.

Given the timing of it all it is a once in a lifetime move.

If reports are to be believed then he attempted to leave amicably.

Football is a very short career, spending five years At a club is giving them pretty much half of your career. As if any of us would turn down a monumentally better job with better absolutely everything in a deal,which is very fair on our existing employer. He should be allowed to move.

The times I disagree are when the margin between the teams is narrower. For coutinho this move would be the equivalent of racing home made go carts, and be offered the chance to move to formula one. It's absurd to think he'd want to stay

Of course it's disgraceful and it doesn't matter if he plays for Barcelona, Liverpool or fecking Raith Rovers. He has a contract with the club and is obliged to play for them unless injured. Trying to force a transfer by not showing up and reportedly refusing to ever play for the club again is a very poor move. He's getting paid shitloads of money to play for them too.

 

[Rooney24]

He's playing for a mediocre team, that has one league cup in a decade.

This is something that is getting overlooked and I only realsied recently. Their trophy record is completely absymal. Im not sure why I thought it was more (maybe cos they always hark on about it) but I didnt realise it was just one league cup in the last decade. On that point why would anyone not want to leave?

We`ve won more in the last 6 months than they have in 10 years.

 

[do.ob]

@SER19
Having the desire to leave Liverpool for Barca is absolutely okay. Trying to aggressively force a move when you've just signed a long term contract however is not.
If you feel like your current club is below your ambitions then don't sign a new contract or negotiate a release clause. Taking the pay rise, loyalty bonus and security of a long term contract but then expecting to be let out of it when something better comes along is like wanting to leave the EU but stay in the single market. You can't have both freedom to leave and security of a contract.

 

[FCBarca]

@do.ob

Disagree. You cannot force players to stay, irrespective of contracts as circumstances constantly change. And the player did not aggressively force anything until he saw that Liverpool were being unreasonable in their valuation of him & effectively taking the position that they would not sell at any price. We don't know what was discussed between player & his club but Coutinho has not been disruptive before and was very quiet publicly to avoid complicating negotiations

Things will eventually have to change in this regard as I continue to believe no one can force a player to stay somewhere they do not want to be

 

[do.ob]

@do.ob

Disagree. You cannot force players to stay, irrespective of contracts as circumstances constantly change. And the player did not aggressively force anything until he saw that Liverpool were being unreasonable in their valuation of him & effectively taking the position that they would not sell at any price. We don't know what was discussed between player & his club but Coutinho has not been disruptive before and was very quiet publicly to avoid complicating negotiations

Things will eventually have to change in this regard as I continue to believe no one can force a player to stay somewhere they do not want to be

He was happy enough to stay half a year ago when he signed a long term contract. I think the biggest problem at the moment is that some players think they can do what they want, partly because clubs have limited options for sanctions, since being fired is no threat at all for those kind of players. I reckon that if this problem keeps persisting, especially to bigger clubs, then they will look for ways to give clubs more leverage in those situations.

 

[Liver_bird]

His behavior has been an actual disgrace tbh. Missing matches and thereby costing his team shouldn't be forgotten by Liverpool fans. But then, all football fans are fickle. A 25yarder goal and everyone will sing his name.

There is something dodgy going on and I feel like Barcelona have a trick up their sleeve. Paulinho for 40mill who also coincidentally happens to be represented by that odious cnut Kia Joorabchian, Coutinho's agent. It just reeks of a scratch my back I scratch yours type deal. That and the ridiculous deadline thing,surely even Barcelona's board aren't that naive and inept. Him not turning up to games is likely on the advice of the agent/family. If he starts mouthing off in the press ala Sterling interview esque and starts slagging off Klopp in the media publicly then it could get real nasty and pressure us in to a sale. Not that I think it'll happen but it seems like Barcas modus operandi is to completely obliterate the relationship between a club and a player.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Clubs have to pay loyalty bonus to players when they sign one. The players happily take the money and throw a tantrum after the payment is done to push for a move.

You don't get the loyalty bonus if you haven't seen through a big part of your contract. As for performance-related bonuses/backpay, why shouldn't he take them if he wasn't adequately remunerated before?

 

[Maradona10]

 

[Devil81]

So funny this, he desperately want's to go and Liverpool are playing hard ball.

He's not going to give 100% to a club he want's out of so much. Liverpool should cash their chips now and invest it wisely on a replacement.

 

[Rob]

@do.ob

Disagree. You cannot force players to stay, irrespective of contracts as circumstances constantly change. And the player did not aggressively force anything until he saw that Liverpool were being unreasonable in their valuation of him & effectively taking the position that they would not sell at any price. We don't know what was discussed between player & his club but Coutinho has not been disruptive before and was very quiet publicly to avoid complicating negotiations

Things will eventually have to change in this regard as I continue to believe no one can force a player to stay somewhere they do not want to be

Of course you can. That´s why there are contracts. He just signed a few year deal in January and can't just expect Liverpool to let him him go late in the next transfer window because a better opportunity comes along. I don't blame him for wanting to go, but I do certainly not blame Liverpool for wanting to keep him this window, as we can't get a replacement.

If no one can force a player to stay, then the whole idea of contracts would be redundant. It would basically mean that a team could all of its players each window?

 

[SwSw]

Of course you can. That´s why there are contracts. He just signed a few year deal in January and can't just expect Liverpool to let him him go late in the next transfer window because a better opportunity comes along. I don't blame him for wanting to go, but I do certainly not blame Liverpool for wanting to keep him this window, as we can't get a replacement.

If no one can force a player to stay, then the whole idea of contracts would be redundant. It would basically mean that a team could all of its players each window?

Would you rather keep a player that clearly does not want to play for your team for the entire season OR would you rather milk the buying team for as much cash as you can and re-invest that money elsewhere?

Imo, when the transfer window closes, regardless whether Coutinho moves or not, the biggest loser would be Liverpool. Your best player is physically there but probably won't be putting in 100% effort. Let's not forget the toxic environment he might create as well if Klopp allows him near the first team.

If Klopp banishes him to the reserves, your bank balance did not swell, and you are one player short. The argument that is too late to replace him in the window or Liverpool can't find someone his quality doesn't really hold imo. Take the money, invest it elsewhere. Last i check, your defence isn't top notch.

 

[Rob]

Would you rather keep a player that clearly does not want to play for your team for the entire season OR would you rather milk the buying team for as much cash as you can and re-invest that money elsewhere?

Imo, when the transfer window closes, regardless whether Coutinho moves or not, the biggest loser would be Liverpool. Your best player is physically there but probably won't be putting in 100% effort. Let's not forget the toxic environment he might create as well if Klopp allows him near the first team.

If Klopp banishes him to the reserves, your bank balance did not swell, and you are one player short. The argument that is too late to replace him in the window or Liverpool can't find someone his quality doesn't really hold imo. Take the money, invest it elsewhere. Last i check, your defence isn't top notch.

I kind of agree with you. If it was up to me, we'd take the 100m-120m and buy a great CB and a class midfielder (and we would then probably be better off than now). It just seems like we only had two options, Keita and van Dijk, and when they didn't happen, we didn't have any alternatives. Very, very strange, but that appears to be the case.

And I agree, it's a shitty situation for us regardless of the outcome. However, Suarez showed that a player can perform well, even if he doesn't get the move he wanted.

 

[prtk0811]

I'd like to see Liverpool to walk the talk and dont sell him this window, Set up an example once and for all. If coutinho has any senses he'd be forced to apologize and bulked down to return to work. Sulking is not an option for him as a professional going into the world cup.

 

[FCBarca]

Of course you can. That´s why there are contracts. He just signed a few year deal in January and can't just expect Liverpool to let him him go late in the next transfer window because a better opportunity comes along. I don't blame him for wanting to go, but I do certainly not blame Liverpool for wanting to keep him this window, as we can't get a replacement.

If no one can force a player to stay, then the whole idea of contracts would be redundant. It would basically mean that a team could all of its players each window?

Well, we could also draw the conclusion that Klopp targeted Keita as the replacement but since they didn't meet that fee it was off. I agree that clubs shouldn't be held ransom by a player but I also think you have to keep players who want to remain else sell for a reasonable market fee. Refusing to sell and a player claiming not to play for you again? These scenarios don't typically end well

 

[prtk0811]

Would you rather keep a player that clearly does not want to play for your team for the entire season OR would you rather milk the buying team for as much cash as you can and re-invest that money elsewhere?

That should apply to every player who's denied his move, Including perisic Sanchez, keita , VVD and bunch of other players. Why should it only apply for players destined to spain.