The Brazilian magician is widely believed to join Barcelona in the near future, with Jurgen Klopp's side also being linked with moves for Manuel Lanzini and Gelson Martins
MUCH to Liverpool’s disappointment, Barcelona haven’t gone away over the past four months. If anything they’ve become more of an irritant than ever before.
The Catalans’ pursuit of Philippe Coutinho is no secret. From former and current players speaking about their admiration for the Reds’ No.10 to Barcelona sponsor Nike accidentally advertising the club’s shirts with the Brazilian’s name emblazoned on the back, It’s all designed to turn the 25-year-old’s head.
The tactics have seemingly worked. Barcelona are increasingly confident of landing their man this month according to reports in Spain, and are ready to pay up to £160million for the Liverpool star.
If Coutinho departs there will be an awkward hole for Jurgen Klopp to fill. The Brazilian’s ability to play in several positions make it unlikely Liverpool will be able to sign a like for like replacement.
They’ll need another attacker, that much us certain, so we asked our friends at Football Whispers to pick out five players the Reds can target to fill the void Coutinho would leave.
After Dimitri Payet engineered his exit from the London Stadium last season, the Hammers needed a player to take on the creative burden the Frenchman had shouldered. Fortunately for West Ham, Lanzini did just that and helped keep the club in Premier League.
This term the Irons have again struggled and the Argentine hasn’t been able to reach the same level of performance. He has, however, remained the creator in the West Ham side. He has averaged 1.7 key passes per game – still the highest of any Hammers player – and and 2.3 dribbles, figures which are admittedly well below Coutinho’s (2.9 key passes and 2.8 dribbles).
Unsurprisingly, Lanzini’s output in terms of goals are not comparable to the Liverpool man, who is playing in a far better attacking side. Tellingly, however, he has managed four assists his season and his passing accuracy stands at 88.1 per cent. Coutinho has six assists by comparison but only 78.8 per cent of his passes have found a teammate.
It would suggest in a side which contains better players, Lanzini, who is only 24 years old, could make a step up and become an influential midfield player for a top six side. And for the reported £40million asking price, he could prove a shrewd investment.
After starring in Monaco’s title-winning season Lemar was a wanted man in the summer. Liverpool were keen, but weren’t willing to match the Ligue 1 side’s £92million asking price. Arsenal, surprisingly, were but they failed to convince the versatile attacker to move to the Emirates.
remained in the principality, many of his teammates did not. As a result Monaco have failed to match the heights they achieved last season and the France international hasn’t been able to replicate his excellent performances.
He has only two goals to his name this term, last season he managed 11 in all competitions. Lemar also registered an impressive 14 assists during 2016/17, so far he has only four.
It would suggest the £90million price tag on his head is steep, but that would be too simplistic a view. Lemar is still a player worthy is such an asking price. He is playing in a weaker side this season and isn’t as productive as a result. Much like Lanzini, add him into a fluid attacking unit and he’s likely to rediscover his best form.
It was only a few years ago that the German was one of the most sought-after talents in world football. Now 24 years old, Draxler has yet to realise the vast potential he possesses.
Poor transfers have played their part. He left Schalke for Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015 but wanted out after one season with the club struggling in the league. He managed to escape in January 2016 but opted to move to mega-rich PSG, for whom he has never been a regular.
He is now on the periphery following the arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and will be allowed to leave the Parisians for a reported fee of around £40million, a fee that will not scare off any potential suitor.
Liverpool have long-standing interest in Draxler and given he needs the next move of his career to be the right one, linking up with Klopp at Anfield could prove a wise decision for both the attacker and the Reds.
Draxler remains a supremely talented player, someone who is capable of going past opposition defenders or playing intelligent through passes. His stats this season pale in comparison to Coutinho – he is playing just 0.7 key passes per game in Ligue 1 and managing only 1.7 dribbles – but that is largely down to a lack of game time and a dip in confidence.
His self-belief needs to be rebuilt and Klopp has proven himself adapt at getting the best out of his attacking players throughout his career. A move to Liverpool could kick-start Draxler’s career and he has all the attributes needed to be a long-term replacement for Coutinho.
The 22-year-old wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Coutinho, however, he’s been watched by the Reds extensively and the club could use the cash from selling the Brazilian to bring in the Sporting winger.
Martins would be an exciting addition to the Liverpool attack. Much like Sadio Mane or Mo Salah, he combines blistering pace with excellent technique and is a goal threat. He has struck six goals this season while registering a further three assists.
He has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo in the past given he has started his career at Sporting and plays on the right flank. While those comparisons are fanciful, there’s little doubting Martins’ potential.
He wouldn’t come cheap and he wouldn’t be an out and out Coutinho replacement in midfield, but his potential arrival could allow Klopp to move Salah inside and partner Roberto Firmino, as the German has done in the past.
The departure of Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal in the summer saw Fekir become Lyon’s main attacking threat and it’s a role he’s taken to with aplomb.
The 24-year-old has starred for the Ligue 1 side this season and his form has attracted several clubs, including the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Arsenal.
Liverpool would be wise to make Fekir their primary transfer target to replace Coutinho as he ticks several of the boxes to play in the deeper creative role the Brazilian occupies to such good effect.
This season the France international’s stats compare well to Coutinho, although many are slightly below the Liverpool man. Fekir has averaged 3.2 shots, two key passes and 3.9 dribbles per 90 minutes. He also has 16 goals and four assists.
Fekir has been a game changer for Lyon in the same way Coutinho has for Klopp’s side. He has often played as the support striker and would need to be moulded by the Liverpool boss if he is to play deeper, but he has the talent required to blossom at Anfield.
The only problem would be the potential price as, with so much interest in his talents, Lyon wouldn’t sell Fekir easily.
