Anfield Alert: Legend urges £25m star to quit Liverpool and sign for La Liga giants Barcelona

In January 2013, Liverpool committed daylight robbery by stealing attacking maestro Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan for a measly £8m fee, and since then, the Brazilian has enhanced his reputation at Anfield to the extent that Brazil legend Ronaldinho claims his fellow countryman is now good enough to play for La Liga giants Barcelona.

In an interview this week, Ronaldinho - who spent 5 years at the Nou Camp - urged 'fantastic' Coutinho to set his sights higher than Anfield:

"I know what Barcelona look for in a player and he [Coutinho] has all those qualities.

"Xavi has left and Iniestia is now in his 30's - they will need to address that. That is why I think Barcelona and Coutinho would be the perfect fit.

"Not only would he win trophies, but playing with Neymar, Messi, Suarez, Iniesta, is going to make him a better player"

Unfortunately for Liverpool, £25m-rated Coutinho idolises Ronaldinho, and he confirmed this once again back in January, when he told the official LFC website:

"I’ve always enjoyed seeing Ronaldinho play and I watch videos of him to take as an inspiration."

Coutinho referenced Ronaldinho last season, too, when he named the former world 'player of the year' as one of his idols:

“My idols are Kaka and Ronaldinho, who play in the same position”

With this in mind, it's highly probable that Coutinho has a lot of respect for whatever Ronaldinho has to say, and unless he lives in a cave, Liverpool's number-10 will undoubtedly be aware of these comments.

As such, this could be the start of a process that may conceivably lead to Coutinho having his head turned (if it hasn't been already, that is).

Coutinho recently insisted that he's 'happy at Anfield', but let's be realistic: if Barcelona come calling, there's only going to be one winner.

Additionally, after Liverpool's abject failure to progress this season, Coutinho may already be casting a covetous eye at Luis Suarez's success at the Nou Camp.

As for Coutinho's suitability for Barcelona: In my view, there's no way he'll get into a team that contains Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta, and Messi.



Plus, Coutinho is a number-10, not an 'El Centrocampista' like Iniesta (who often plays deeper than a traditional number-10) and he's not prolific enough (with goals or assists) to challenge the likes of Neymar and Messi.

Still, the lure of the Nou Camp is irresistible for most players. If Barca express an interest, I fully expect Coutinho to be interested in a move, and to be fair, given the state Liverpool are in at the moment, who could blame him?

If Liverpool want to keep Coutinho in the long-term, then it's imperative that Reds start challenging for major honours sooner rather than later. Is the club capable of doing that under the current management?

Time will tell.

Author: Jaimie K