Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Gary Neville have raised their doubts over a reported Chelsea swoop for Philippe Coutinho worth £79m this summer.
The 27-year-old has struggled to hit top form since leaving Liverpool in 2018, as Barcelona shipped him out on loan to Bayern Munich this season after an underwhelming stint at the Nou Camp.
The Brazilian international has continued to fall short of his full potential for the Bundesliga giants, and the Daily Mail have noted that not only is he said to be closing in on a move to Chelsea, but he could be available to sign for £79m.
There is no denying the quality and talent that Coutinho possesses, and so perhaps it’s about finding the right role, club and environment to help get the best out of him again.
However, as seen in the clip below, Redknapp doesn’t believe it will happen and has questioned Coutinho’s lack of goals and the negative impact he could have on Mason Mount’s development if he were to move to Stamford Bridge.
“I don’t see this as a goer, it’s an awful lot of money,” Redknapp Sky Sports. “Coutinho is a super-talented player but he doesn’t get enough goals.
“Chelsea have Mason Mount there and a lot of trust has been given to the young players who are coming through at Stamford Bridge. The way Chelsea have been going for the last year or so, I just don’t see them going to spend £79m on a player.
“Coutinho is talented, but why would you want to risk preventing someone like Mount, who is going to be a top-class player, having the opportunities himself?”
Meanwhile, Neville focused on the financial aspect of the touted move, and when considering the discussions over a pay cut for the squad in recent weeks due to the coronavirus crisis, he can’t see how Chelsea would then go out and spend £70m+ on a player in the transfer market.
That in turn could lead to a whole set of new problems for the club, and so there are various aspects as to why both Redknapp and Neville are convinced that Coutinho doesn’t move to Chelsea this summer.
“If I was a player in a dressing room now, I would look at a referral that could turn into a pay cut at a certain point in time. But, if the club increase their budget or sign a player for £75m I’d be saying, ‘you have to pay our money first’.
“You cannot go and sign a player for £75m and tell your players you cannot pay them, it’s just illogical.”
Time will tell what Chelsea and Frank Lampard decide to do, but it’s clear neither Redknapp nor Neville believe the the right move would be to bring Coutinho back to the Premier League.
?"When you've got Mason Mount coming through why would you want to risk him not having the opportunities"
Jamie Redknapp responds to reports linking Philippe Coutinho to Chelsea pic.twitter.com/naqr3D1kKE
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 23, 2020