Magician on the Move

So the January sales are in full swing as Barcelona have broken the British transfer record to secure the signature of long time target Phil Coutinho... Finally!

The Phillipe Coutinho Transfer saga started nearly two years ago when Barca chiefs signalled their intentions to bring the Brazilian to the Catalan in the Spring of 2015. Following a tumultuous 2 years and an estimated £145m Lil Phil will now be the second most expensive player in the world. Only childhood friend and international teammate Neymar can boast costing more than Coutinho. 

This is an interesting turn in events considering the stance the Liverpool hierarchy took only 6 months ago in rebuffing the what looked like a bumper £113m offer from Barcelona. FSG who have been heavily criticised for showing a lack of ambition during their tenure at Anfield, were adamant that they were not going to do business for the player who had only 6 months previous signed a 5 year extension.

So what exactly has changed?

On the pitch, things have looked promising in regard to the chemistry between the "Big Four: Salah, Mane, Firmino and Coutinho" All have contributed well in the 16 game unbeaten streak Liverpool are currently on, despite heavy rotation from Gaffer Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp even went to the extent of handing the captains armband to the little magician in an attempt to persuade him that his future was at Liverpool long term. Despite these attempts Coutinho reiterated his desire to complete his dream move. In a presser following the announcement Klopp stated "Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his teammates this was a move he was desperate to make happen."

Few things are certain in the world of football, however when the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid    are linked with a player it is very rare that they do not get their man... no matter how long it takes. The dialogue between the players agent has obviously reaffirmed his desire to make the move sooner rather than later.

From Coutinho's perspective now represents the perfect opportunity to take his talent elsewhere and prove himself as one of the best attacking talents in world football. Barcelona are clearly in a transitional phase and are looking to bring fresh faces into the Camp Nou.

Coutinho has been the model professional despite what may have transpired in the summer behind the scenes leading up to the transfer request. His effort and commitment to the cause this season has not wavered. In ways you can say that he has earned the opportunity to move on after 5 years at Liverpool which has seen him fulfil his undoubted potential.

The Barca Board have already spent close to 300m to bring Dembele and Coutinho to Spain. They are aware that further investment is required to reinvigorate an ageing squad. We expect more big name signings to follow. 

In the immediate, with Coutinho being cup tied in the Champions League, he has 18 La Liga fixtures to ingratiate himself with the culture of the club. This process can be a completed without having to bear any real pressure of a summer marquee signing. Barca look well on pace to comfortably regain league supremacy and given the Champions League Draw one of the main contenders will be booted out before the Quarter Finals. 

I personally expect Coutinho to settle quickly, his technical ability coupled with having survived the pace of the game in England should hold him in good stead. He'll also have the advantage of playing once a week for the remainder of the club season, meaning he'll be fresh for the World Cup in Russia this summer.

What Next for Liverpool?

Klopp has the luxury of not having to panic buy in this window, the club should have been aware of the situation and identified a list of targets before accepting any bids. The rumour mill will undoubtedly swirl before the end of the window, but I feel collectively under Klopp the recruitment has been a lot better than previous managers. When spending big Klopp has managed to get the best out of the players immediately. This was evident with both Mane and Salah. 

The last time Liverpool lost a Star player Brendan was handed a  £150m war chest to which he harvested Mario Balotelli, Markovic and Ricky Lambert. They were tasked with the impossible job of filling the void of Luis Suarez. I t wasn't until the arrival of Mo Salah this summer that Liverpool have a genuine possibility of a player reaching 30 goals in a season.

Fans will be overall split in regards to how they view the transfer of Coutinho, however there should be more optimism around the club. Moving forward there is enough attacking quality to push for a top four place. In the long term there are a few names who would fit the billing of replacing the Magician.

The likes of Leicester's Riyad Mahrez represents good value at around 45m. He is premier league proven and can contribute with goals and assists, however it would be interesting to see how he'd adjust to Jurgen's rock and roll style. Pressing isn't something the Algerian is renowned for.

Other potential targets include Christian Pulisic. A move for the young American is unlikely with Dortmund surely only willing to sell if a mammoth deal upwards of 70m can be tabled. He has plenty of pace but is relatively inexperienced and it's probably best for his development to stay put for now.

What is more likely is a move for France international Thomas Lemar. The Monaco attacking midfielder has come on leaps and bounds in the last 2 years, and was an integral part of Monaco's success last campaign. A bid of around 90m was earmarked in the summer however only if Coutinho was leaving. It's very much a deal that would be difficult to complete in this window however its in Liverpool's best interest to get a deal over the line as interest in the 22 year old will only continue to grow.

It is going to be an interesting month of transfer speculation hopefully this isn't the last of big money being spent!!