3 reasons why Barcelona letting Philippe Coutinho leave for Bayern Munich was a mistake
After 18 months of intense struggle at the Nou Camp, Philippe Coutinho has departed Barcelona for Bayern Munich on a season-long loan.
The Brazilian international had arrived in Spain from England for a club-record fee in January 2018. But in a surprise turn of events, Coutinho failed to capture the form that saw him become an elite player at Liverpool.
It was soon made evident that Coutinho was no longer wanted at Barcelona. The Rio de Janeiro native suffered the ignominy of being bandied about in the transfer market, and was linked to virtually every available team during the window.
The transfer that eventually transpired will see Coutinho join the Bavarians on a season long loan. They would have the option to buy permanently at the end of the season for €120m, with Barcelona off-setting some part of his humongous wage.
Prima facie, this might look like a good deal for both player and club. But on deeper introspection, it might turn out to be a bad piece of business for Barcelona.
Here, we look at three reasons why Barcelona were wrong to let Coutinho join Bayern Munich.
#1 They are strengthening a continental rival
It is no secret that Barcelona are desperate to win the Champions League again. They are currently on a 'drought' of four years without getting their hands on Europe's holy grail.
The drought has been further exacerbated by the fact that in this time-frame, eternal rivals Real Madrid have achieved near immortality on the continent. And the manner of Barcelona's eliminations have hardly helped matters.
For their part, Bayern Munich have been invincible domestically, but on the continent they too have faltered.
The exits of wing wizards Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben left the perennial Bundesliga champions light of options in attack. But notwithstanding the failure to land their top target Leroy Sane, Coutinho is more than a decent addition to the squad.
With the capture of Coutinho, Niko Kovac's team has been undoubtedly strengthened. They would now fancy their chances of going all the way in the Champions League, at the expense of Barcelona.