Do Barcelona really need Coutinho right now?

First of all, it must be affirmed that the Brazilian star is a classy player and is suitable for the playing style of the "Catalan giant". If Coutinho is recruited, Barcelona's strength will increase significantly. However, looking at the problem objectively, the current time is not the most suitable for Barcelona to welcome Coutinho to Camp Nou.

The first is the price factor. Although there is not much chance of competing for the Premier League title with Man City anymore, the goal of entering the TOP 4 is still extremely difficult for Liverpool. The Anfield team still wants to keep Coutinho, at least until the end of this season, because his importance to the "Red Brigade" is not small.

Besides, The Kop still hopes to win the championship in 2 arenas, the Champions League and FA Cup. Surely coach Klopp and the Liverpool leadership do not want the team's force to be damaged by the departure of Coutinho. Losing the Brazilian star, Liverpool's attack will lack the depth and stability needed to compete for the championship with other opponents.

Coutinho is very important to Liverpool. Photo: Internet

Therefore, it is not easy for Liverpool to accept Coutinho's transfer to Barcelona in this winter transfer window. The only way for coach Klopp to keep the player born in 1992 is to ask for an "astronomical" price to "skillfully chase away" Barcelona (according to the revelations of the British and Spanish media, the amount Liverpool is asking for is not much less than the 222 million euros that PSG used to steal Neymar from Camp Nou).

Whatever is said, Liverpool still holds the upper hand in the "love triangle" between Liverpool - Coutinho - Barcelona. Simply, the midfielder wearing the number 10 shirt's contract does not have a termination clause and the 2018 World Cup is very close. Whether Coutinho is satisfied or not, he does not dare to "rebel" or "go on strike" to refuse the task of playing for The Kop.

In addition to the risk of paying too high a price for Liverpool, Barcelona also have to wonder about the effectiveness of using Coutinho. The Brazilian star played for The Kop in the group stage of this year's Champions League, which also means that Coutinho cannot play for Barcelona in the knockout round (UEFA regulations). Thus, the 25-year-old midfielder can only play in La Liga and the King's Cup.

Spending a large amount of money on a player who will only be used in the second half of the domestic league seems a bit wasteful. In fact, with the current squad, coach Valverde and his team are still capable of winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, not to mention they have welcomed back the expensive contract of Dembele after a period of injury.

Dembele has fully recovered from his injury. Photo: Internet

Having Coutinho at this time only helps coach Valverde more easily rotate the squad, giving Iniesta, Rakitic... more time to rest. And there is another thing worth paying attention to, which is that the appearance of the former Inter Milan midfielder will disrupt the style of play that coach Valverde is building at Barcelona. This is extremely dangerous, when the season is in a difficult phase.

The above is just for reference, the prospect of Coutinho wearing a Barcelona shirt is becoming clearer day by day. It is unlikely that the Camp Nou team will give up on the Coutinho deal, the question is will they bring him back this January or wait until July?