Liverpool fans are not a happy bunch after the Philippe Coutinho transfer which saw the Brazilian join Barcelona for a fee of £142million. The bone of contention has been a lack of reinvestment of the Coutinho money, however, a leading football expert claims that we can invest almost all the money, should we want to.
Kieran Maguire, a finance expert in football, was quoted by the Daily Star, as he spoke about the transfer details of the Coutinho deal and how clubs can use the money once they reach an agreement to sell a player.
“When we’re talking about the stratospheric levels, the chances are that the deal will be agreed in instalments.
“But as far as Liverpool’s accounts are concerned, they will be booking all of that £140m [£133.5] profit from the sale of Coutinho – because he cost them buttons from what I recall.
“They will be booking all of that profit in the year of sale. From an accounting point of view, they can spend it all now.
“Accounting and cash – or profit and cash – they diverge. I don’t know how much Barcelona will have paid as a deposit as far as that deal is concerned.”
The expert also highlighted Manchester United’s issues and added that the club owes a lot of money to others.
“If you look at [Manchester] United’s accounts, I think they owe around £190m to other clubs in respect of transfers, where they’re paying on the drip and the money has yet to be paid.
“I think you have to look at the small print in terms of the cash which is being generated – but in theory, Liverpool can sign whoever they want I’d say for the rest of this window.”
This will be another frustrating comment for the fans and Jurgen Klopp will have to deal with the expectations of us buying a Thomas Lemar or anyone else to fill the Coutinho gap.
While no one can be a direct replacement for the Brazilian, the need to add players this January is crucial given that almost every other rival is investing in their side, looking to make it to the top four or even end up with some sort of silverware.
With just a day remaining for the window to close, it is unlikely that we will sign anyone at all and that will be a major blow for us as we look to ensure we don’t miss out on Champions League football next season.
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