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Over the course of the summer, Liverpool\u2019s<\/a> Philippe Coutinho\u00a0was brought\u00a0into the main spotlight of the football world. The story of his unfulfilled desire to play for the\u00a0Barcelona has been told and retold\u00a0so many times these past few months that it has become very hard to keep track of all that\u2019s been said, written or done, let alone ponder the truth of it all.<\/p>\n Having become extremely important for J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s team, Coutinho signed a new five-year contract with the Reds only in January, a contract not containing a release-clause. He had been injured for a while prior to putting pen to paper, but as soon as he was back in the team he happily pledged his future<\/a> to the club.<\/p>\n \u201cI signed this new contract to stay here for a few more years because it\u2019s a great honour for me,\u201d <\/em>said Coutinho back then.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day. I am very thankful to this football club for everything.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Fast forward seven months, and things couldn\u2019t have become more different. On August 11th<\/sup>, the popular \u201cLittle Magician\u201d handed in a transfer request following strong interest from Barcelona, and broke the bonds of trust towards his club, manager and fans. He spent the last few weeks of the transfer window shrouded in uncertainty in regards to his immediate future, and despite Liverpool\u2019s rock-hard statement about the matter, Barcelona and the media kept adding fuel to the fire with insinuations of the Brazilian\u2019s move being imminent.<\/p>\n In the end, several big-money offers from the Catalans were rebuffed by Liverpool, and Coutinho still remains at the club. He\u00a0is yet to feature\u00a0for his club this season, however, due to an alleged back injury. That injury\u00a0did not\u00a0stop him from putting in very good performances for Brazil during the first international break of the campaign and scoring against Ecuador on the final day of the transfer window.<\/p>\n This development obviously opens the question of how far the process of burning the bridges between the player and the club has come. All parties involved will now think hard about the problem that is before them.<\/p>\n Barcelona obviously still haven\u2019t given up on their intention to sign the Brazilian as soon as possible. Catalan paper \u201cSport\u201d, in accordance with their self-definition as the newspaper of the supporters of\u00a0FC Barcelona,\u00a0have started a rumour\u00a0that Coutinho plans to refuse playing in the Champions League group stages<\/a> in order to be eligible to play for Barcelona in the later stages of the competition this season.<\/p>\n As much as this potentially bold and spiteful move would seem like another bridge burnt, a prospect probably welcome by both Barcelona and Coutinho himself, they need to keep in mind that Liverpool still hold onto the player. Angering the Merseyside club further in this manner would do nothing to improve the chances of a transfer happening in January.<\/p>\n There is only one path now for\u00a0the Brazilian\u00a0to take, at least for this season, in order to get his career back on the upward track. He needs to get back to Liverpool\u2019s training facilities at Melwood and start working very hard.\u00a0This will\u00a0convince his manager that he can still give a lot to the team, and that leaving him out of it wouldn\u2019t make much sense, whatever grievances lie between them.<\/p>\n The game against Manchester City at the Etihad on September 9th<\/sup> will be the perfect opportunity to show his lingering allegiance to Liverpool and start shining again. He only needs to make sure he\u2019s given a chance; his undisputed quality will do the rest.<\/p>\n What happens next summer, remains to be seen.\u00a0There are implications<\/a>\u00a0that the\u00a0current situation\u00a0is a result of a personal stand-off between the general manager of the Catalan club, Pep Segura, and Liverpool’s principal\u00a0owner John W. Henry. If that is indeed the case, it may well be that Coutinho never gets his dream move as long as his contract lasts.<\/p>\n On the other hand, common business sense might prevail eventually. The acquisitions of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal and RB Leipzig star Naby Keita, who will officially become a Liverpool player next summer, as well as strong interest in Monaco\u2019s Thomas Lemar, indicate that Liverpool just might be in the process of planning the future without their talisman.<\/p>\n Main PhotoLiverpool and Philippe Coutinho: What Now?<\/h1>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>