It is not easy being Jurgen Klopp; at the same time, it is not difficult to not like his press conferences. I would stick my neck out and say that the German’s briefings are one of the most entertaining in the Premier League. However, he must be feeling frustrated at every conference dominated by questions about his star playmaker Philippe Coutinho.
Ever since the Brazilian playmaker was made a target by Catalan giants Barcelona, he has not stopped making the headlines at Liverpool. So, when Klopp was asked about the latest media news from Spain about his star midfielder, he laughed off the speculations.
The reports under question are the ones that speak about Liverpool naming their price for Coutinho. It was reported that we are willing to accept Barcelona’s offer of €145million.
The charismatic German manager laughed off the claim although he didn’t give a straight answer to the query.
As quoted by ESPN, Klopp said to the reporters:
“Named a price? Interesting. There is absolutely nothing to say about this. Of course Phil is still essential for us.
“Should we stop thinking about him in the moment just because there are more stories about him in the newspapers in Spain?”
This is interesting because if the Spanish press had its way, Coutinho would already have been a Barcelona player. He was the protagonist in Barcelona’s summer story, but Liverpool played the villain perfectly and sniffed their advances at every juncture.
It is common knowledge that Barcelona rate Coutinho very highly and that they would come back with a bid in the winter window. There seems to be some confusion in the Spanish press regarding the transfer. With Klopp not giving a straight answer, the media is kept waiting on Coutinho’s situation. ‘Will he or won’t he’ has become one of the biggest questions at Anfield!
So, will he, or won’t he? I think it is too premature to say if Liverpool’s stance has changed since the summer. The club still rates Coutinho as vital to its short-term and long-term plans.
Us parting ways with our best player midway through the season is highly improbable, so let Klopp enjoy these media rumours!
https://youtu.be/uofs4YiCpYA
