According to a recent report from TeleFoot, Chelsea are lining up an audacious summer move for Barcelona’s Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho, as they look to bring in a player of enough calibre to replace their mercurial Belgian talent, Eden Hazard.
It has been suggested that Chelsea are looking at Coutinho as well as Lille winger Nicolas Pepe as potential ready-replacements for the Belgian, who they are now resigned to losing at the end of the season.
Both of these players have proven over the years that they have the potential to perform for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Coutinho is a former Liverpool star, who even featured for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was one of the Reds’ most dangerous players during his spell at Anfield and the high-scoring partnership that he formed with the Liverpool front-line is the stuff of Premier League legend.
Since making the switch to Barcelona though, the Brazilian hasn’t enjoyed nearly as much game time as he would’ve hoped for. While the process of playing for a club like Barcelona would certainly be a rewarding experience, there’s no substitute for first-team football.
Although his figures read 32 league appearances, this doesn’t tell the full story as he’s only started in about 60% of these matches. His 5 goals and 2 assists could be interpreted as a decent return for a player spending his first year in Catalonia but the Barcelona fans always expect more from their star players.
His saving grace this season could be the fact that he has been a vital player for them in the Champions League, scoring 3 and assisting 3 from his 10 games in Europe. He’s also scored 3 in 6 appearances for the Catalan giants in the Spanish Copa Del Rey.
Since making his debut for the Brazilian national side all the way back in 2010, the 26-year-old has notched up 47 caps for his country – a period during which he scored 13 goals as well. Considering that he still has a massive future ahead of him, regular first-team football must be the top criteria on his list.
If a club like Chelsea do come calling in the summer, it would be smart on Coutinho’s part to move back to the Premier League, as it was here that he really made a name for himself.
Also, with Eden Hazard now poised to join Real Madrid in the summer at the end of a long-drawn transfer saga, this could be the ideal time.
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By making the switch to southwest London, Coutinho would effectively be guaranteed a lot more first-team football, considering that Hazard is mostly on his way out of the club.
Also, the fact that he is able to play anywhere across the front-line makes him a massive prospect for the Blues and one that Maurizio Sarri wouldn’t want to pass up on.