Barcelona had no choice but to make sure they signed Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool following their demoralising loss of star man Neymar, according to former pro turned pundit Frank Lampard.
Barcelona confirmed the signing of Coutinho on Saturday night, bringing to an end a long-drawn saga for the player’s signature.
The deal, worth up to £142million with its additional clauses, puts Coutinho as the second most expensive player of all time, behind Neymar.
Barcelona have finally pulled off the signing of Brazilian superstar Philippe Coutinho for £145m
Speaking of the big money move, Lampard believes Barca had their heart set on getting their man, come what may.
‘Maybe they (Barcelona) needed to make a statement because of what happened with Neymar recently,’ Lampard said in the BT Sport studio during the half time interva of Norwich’s FA Cup tie with Chelsea.
‘Coutinho is a fantastic player and will be a great player for them, for sure, but he wanted to go and it’s important now for Liverpool to recruit well with that money,’ he added.
Chris Sutton, sitting alongside Lampard, added his concerns regarding how Liverpool now cope with the loss of their superstar.
The Spanish giants were left red-faced in the summer when Neymar was snatched by PSG
‘It lessens their chances of finishing in the top four and (making) the Champions League. Would they have a better chance with Coutinho in the team? Absolutely,’ siad Sutton.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher also weighed into the discussion online, taking to Twitter to comment on how impressed he had been by Coutinho’s rise, while warning the club to reinvest the money better than they did following the sale of Luis Suarez.
‘Disappointed Coutinho has gone, never thought he’d turn into the players he’s become when I first played with him, but he’s been a great player these last few years. 142 million though! Just need to use the money better than we did when Suarez left!!,’ wrote Carragher.
Carragher has urged Liverpool to spend the money better than they did when Luis Suarez left
Liverpool officially announced the news of Coutinho’s departure on their official website, during which manager Jurgen Klopp offered his thoughts on the matter.
‘It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July, when Barcelona first made their interest known,’ said Klopp.
‘Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his teammates this was a move he was desperate to make happen.
‘Despite that, we managed to keep the player here beyond the summer window, hoping that we would be able to persuade him to stay and be part of what we are looking to do,’ he added.