As Sadio Mane considers swapping Liverpool for Bayern Munich, here are five players who rue the day they left Anfield. Or rather, four who regret it and one who insists he doesn’t, but almost certainly does…
Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian did all he could to get away from Anfield in 2018 when Barcelona came calling. They initially wanted Coutinho in the summer of 2017 when the Catalans saw bids of £72million and £90million rejected, prompting the playmaker to email in a transfer request. That only served to strengthen Jurgen Klopp and FSG’s resolve to keep him, which they did until the winter window, when Barca plonked £105million in front Liverpool with the promise of another £37million if all went well.
It did not. During his medical, Coutinho was diagnosed with a thigh injury that kept him out for three weeks, which set the tone for a disastrous move for all concerned – except Liverpool. Inside a year, Barca were looking to offload their record recruit, a signing widely regarded as the worst in the club’s history.
They eventually shipped him off to Bayern Munich, who offered to take Coutinho off Barca’s hands for a season at the cost of around £7.8million. Barca suggested Bayern sign up to an agreement that would see them pay £102million if they wanted to keep him, which the Germans agreed, presumably while never having the slightest intention of honouring it. When Covid struck, the only club daft enough to pay such a figure was probably the one looking for a buyer.
Instead, Coutinho eventually left Barca for Villa, who negotiated a 50% discount on the £33million option they initially agreed. Despite all that, Coutinho insists he doesn’t regret joining Barca.
“I don’t regret anything,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s all part of life’s ups and downs. It was my dream to play at Barcelona since I was a child. But now it’s in the past and I am looking forward to my future here at Villa.
“Also I learned a lot in that time….
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