Philippe
Coutinho has gone through a difficult period since leaving Liverpool with his
Barcelona dream becoming a nightmare and Bayern Munich’s decision not to keep
him permanently has crown a difficult few years of his career.
When
he was growing up, he was nicknamed "Pequeno Magico" (Little
Magician), but for Philippe Coutinho the stardust has faded.
However,
as his former club, Liverpool celebrated their first title in 30 years,
Coutinho is at a crossroads in his career with more than a few roads blocked.
Barcelona,
who paid a whopping £142 million to the Reds to sign Coutinho in January
2018, shipped him on loan to Bayern Munich last August at a cost of £600,000
per game for the German champions.
His
undisputed talent was found missing in the Bundesliga, in particular one hat-trick
and two assists against Werder Bremen in December and two goals in the 6-0 win
before the lockout at Hoffenheim. The Brazilian star was overshadowed by the exploits of
forward Robert Lewandowski and attacking midfielder Serge Gnabry, who scored 19
goals for Bayern this season, including four at Tottenham in a 7-2 victory in
the group stage of the Champions League.
Bayern
have not activated the £110m clause to make Coutinho's loan a permanent deal and
a return to a Barcelona team as the midfielder himself is the most likely
current option.
Arsenal
manager Mikel Arteta is a big fan and thinks he has an interest in Coutinho, but
that probably won't happen if Mesut Ozil will still remain at the Emirate
Stadium. Coutinho
also is said to be on Everton's radar, but the destinations that the
28-year-old South American really want, aren’t showing interest.
Liverpool,
with both Manchester giants and Chelsea, have no appetite in bringing the
playmaker back to the Premier League, and his options are dwindling rapidly.
But the 28-year old insists that he still has a lot to offer and can regain his old magic.
As cited by Sports Central, Coutinho said: “I always think I can do better. I always work hard and always think I can improve and learn. “Playing at No.10 is the position I prefer most and where I feel I can help the team the best. “But, of course, I’ve always said I need to be prepared to play where the coach wants. “It’s the position I like most and I hope I’ll get the chance to play there, do well and improve my game. “The Champions League is a big opportunity for Bayern and that’s what we are all focusing on now, we want to finish the season the best possible way.
Coutinho
refuses to talk about his future, but even if he pushed himself out of
Liverpool, which left many fans with a sour taste, he is glad they finally
broke their Premier League duck.
And he has nothing but admiration for Jürgen Klopp, who tried to convince him to achieve his ambitions with Liverpool.
He added: “Klopp is a great coach and is exceptional at what he does. I spent a very enjoyable period of my life with him and I was able to learn a lot. “He always pays attention to the very fine details. But his main strength is that he’s extremely focused and has transformed the club into the one it is today. “It’s all about the mentality and always staying completely focused. That’s something I’ll always carry with me and it was very important for my development.
With
a Bundesliga title medal to complete the two La Liga crowns he won at
Barcelona, Coutinho can focus on getting back in football’s shop window in the
Champions League.
Bayern are 3-0 up at Chelsea after the first leg of the round of 16 and are set to reach the quarterfinals. And for Coutinho, this could be the last chance to convince the Premier League that he’s still a force and a game of chance that is worth playing.
