If reports from Spain are to be believed, Chelsea have emerged as a potential new destination for Philippe Coutinho, with the Brazilian star considering his options as he looks for an exit from the Nou Camp. Coutinho lit up the PL during his stint in the league with Liverpool, and that form made Barca splash out around £140m for him- a transfer that actually worked out quite very well for the Reds who managed to bring in Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk with that cash.
Unfortunately, Coutinho hasn’t quite fit into Barca’s system as he did at Liverpool, and the Catalan giants loaned him out to Bayern Munich at the beginning of the 2019/20 season. While he’s done decently at the Allianz Arena, it’s not been enough to convince Bayern to make the deal permanent, which has resulted in the situation going back to square one for the 27-year-old.
With Antoine Griezmann hinting that he would like to wear the No.7 shirt (currently Coutinho’s jersey) next season, it does look like Barca will cut their losses on the Brazilian and allow him to exit. A move back to the PL, a league that he knows well and has excelled in, looks the most likely option. The likes of Man Utd, Arsenal and Tottenham have all been linked with him, and Chelsea are now a new addition to that list.
Coutinho would first and foremost prefer to go a club that has Champions League football. Chelsea are currently in 4th in 48 points, but Sheffield United in 7th are just five points behind the Blues and have a game in hand. We think Frank Lampard’s men should be able to do the job though, and this handy code could be very useful if you think on similar lines.
Coutinho will also be excited at the idea of playing alongside Hakim Ziyech and potentially even Jadon Sancho. A deal for Ziyech has been confirmed, and while there are doubts over whether Chelsea will be able to afford both Sancho and Coutinho, they may be able to do so if they get one, likely the Brazilian, on loan like Bayern did. There is also talk of one of Grimaldo and Alex Telles coming in as Lampard seeks to strengthen his squad.
Coutinho would be a good fit in Lampard’s 4-2-3-1 formation, potentially in the No.10 position. Chelsea also have the likes of Mason Mount and Reuben Loftus-Cheek as options there, but the former hasn’t quite excelled in the position and the latter has struggled with injury. The Brazilian is also capable of conjuring something out of nothing, and Chelsea are in need of a player of that type.
All in all, this might not be such a far fetched transfer, especially if the Blues are beaten to Sancho’s signing by their competitors. Coutinho is a proven performer at this level and could come in far cheaper, with reports suggesting that something around the £70-80m will be enough to persuade Barca.