5 players who could replace Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool
Liverpool did manage to tie their best player Philippe Coutinho down with a new contract just about two weeks ago, but considering the buzz the Brazilian had already created around Europe and a recent dip in performance of the Reds, the fans would still be worried about the future of their club's prized asset. Additionally, signing a new contract does not mean that a player will surely stay at the club and no one will know it better than a Liverpool fan.
Luis Suarez had also committed his future to Liverpool just months before he moved to Barcelona and if Liverpool do not qualify for the Champions League football next season, the same could repeat at Anfield with Coutinho.
Coutinho has been regularly linked with both Spanish giants, Real Madrid and especially Barcelona. His friend Neymar and former teammate Suarez both have made it known quite a few times that their club is eager to raid Liverpool yet again. So, what happens if Coutinho leaves Anfield in the summer? The fans will experience a heartbreak but not for the first time. They are habituated to seeing their best players getting lured away while the club keeps struggling with mediocrity.
In this article, we will take a look at five players who can possibly replace Coutinho if he does leave Anfield. Though he is predominantly a number ten, Klopp has mostly used the flamboyant attacking midfielder on the left flank this season. Liverpool do have a number of options in the number ten position with Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum.
If Coutinho does leave the club, we will probably see Klopp signing a winger in order to replace 'the little magician'. Here are five players Liverpool are likely to go for.
#1 Maximilian Meyer
In Klopp’s system at Liverpool, the front three have to be very mobile and often switch positions among them. This is why he does not use out and out wingers. And even though Sadio Mane is a winger naturally, he hardly plays like an orthodox one.
A player who would really thrive under Klopp in this system is young German attacking midfielder Maximilian Meyer of Schalke. Klopp will know the 21-year-old really well from his time in Germany with Dortmund and those who follow Bundesliga should know about the potential of Meyer.
The German wonderkid is predominantly a number ten just like Coutinho but can play equally well on either flank as well as the focal point of the attack. Having already played 147 times for Schalke and having represented Germany internationally, it is high time for the youngster to take the next step in his career and he should thrive under his countryman Klopp at Anfield.