In the past 10 years, The Kop have twice fallen to the bottom of disappointment in finding a replacement for the team's brightest star.
In 2009, they parted ways with Xabi Alonso to bring back Alberto Aquilani who was bedridden and played more on the pitch. Meanwhile, in the summer of 2014, they parted ways with Luis Suarez and headed home to a Mario Balotelli who had more attacks than football.
If they return to last season or in the summer transfer window, Liverpool's loss of Coutinho will be a huge disadvantage. In the 2016-17 season, the Brazilian midfielder was the club's brightest star and was once offered a fee of up to £105 million by Barca.
But now it is different, Mohamed Salah's good performance has given the Egyptian striker all the favor and affection of fans.
Regarding the club's overall playing style, having Coutinho work too hard last season has brought some negative things to Liverpool. Therefore, coach Klopp has adjusted the playing style so that the club does not have to depend on any star. The proof is that not only Salah, even Coutinho, Firmino, Mane,... can score.
After a long period of struggling with injuries, Adam Lallana returned and played well in the match against Burnley in the last round. In terms of class, it is clear that the English midfielder cannot compare with Coutinho, but Klopp is about to start from the start combined with being only substituted in the 86th minute. Klopp clearly has great faith in Lallana.
Coutinho has often played right behind the front three this season, which is also where Lallana chose to play as his forte. If Lallana continues to play well, Liverpool can live well without Coutinho.
What about Naby Keita? The RB Leipzig midfielder will travel to Anfield in the summer of 2018 for up to £48 million. In terms of playing style, Keita is a box-to-box model. This means that if Coutinho leaves and Lallana is unable to play, Keita can still play as an attacking midfielder. At that time, Liverpool did not need to worry too much.
When Suarez, Torres and Alonso left, Liverpool had made many mistakes in the transfer market due to impatience combined with a squad without their own depth. Besides Aquilani or Balotelli, the most expensive contract in England - Andy Carroll is just a " good deal".
With a deep enough squad and financial potential, Liverpool can transform into a player market. This means that whether Coutinho stays at Anfield or not is no longer important.
