Coutinho is a real coup for Barcelona

Whichever way you look at it, signing Philippe Coutinho is a real coup for Barcelona.

Forget about the size of the fee because, as has been shown by the transfers of Pogba, Dembele and Neymar, prices for the very top players have sky-rocketed in the last 12-18 months.

Taking him now, in January, might also be seen as a risk by some, but once again Ernesto Valverde has got things just right, in a season where he can do no wrong.

The coach has given himself half a season where, unless there’s a collapse the likes of which we’ve never seen before, the Catalans are already home and dry in the league.

Coutinho isn’t available for the Champions League so he can supplement Barca’s league squad whilst allowing Valverde to rest Andres Iniesta for the European tournament as needed.

The Brazilian can also play the fullest part in the Blaugrana’s Copa del Rey defence should Valverde wish.

That’s five months in which to really bed down into the team, to have his role defined, and then to hit the ground running at the beginning of the next campaign — by which time Antoine Griezmann may well have been added to the mix too.

One of his closest friends in the game, Neymar allegedly told Coutinho not to join Barcelona once he himself had moved on to Paris Saint-Germain, but clearly the former Liverpool man had his heart set on pulling on the Blaugrana.

The Reds may have felt that they were backed into a corner too, but similar moves have always oiled the wheels of the game; Virgil Van Dijk’s transfer to the Anfield outfit is another prime example.

Coutinho’s loyalty will be called into question of course, but if he really wanted to rock the boat, he could’ve insisted on the deal going through last summer.

Instead, he stayed and always gave of his best. Liverpool fans would do well to remember that.

Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar have gone before him, and such a well-worn path won’t come without associated pressures.

With enough experience at the top level already however, it’s hard to imagine anything other than Coutinho taking to this next stage of his career like a duck to water.

His skill set is made for the blaugrana. He can play right across the front line or in behind with equal aplomb. Intelligent on and off the ball, with an eye for goal and a high degree of success with long or short passes, his previous interaction with Luis Suarez will stand him in good stead in terms of movement and decisiveness in the final third.

With his best years ahead of him too, this is a signing that’s perfect for Valverde.