Micah Richards has claimed Jurgen Klopp sold the best player in the Premier League, Philippe Coutinho, whilst he was playing for Liverpool.
The season before joining Barcelona, Coutinho was having an unbelievable season, which inevitably captured the interest of Spanish giants Barcelona, who signed him in January 2018.
After providing 13 goal contributions in 14 games, Coutinho was signed by Barcelona for £146m, according to Sky Sports.
Speaking on the BBC Match of the Day Top 10 Podcast, Richards claimed: “When he left [Liverpool], he was the best player in the league wasn’t he?”
The claim from Richards wasn’t too farfetched, as the transfer fee backs up. The former Manchester City defender picked Coutinho in his top ten attacking midfielders ever to have played in the Premier League.
Richards wasn’t criticising Klopp for his decision to sell Coutinho, as it’s difficult to turn down that sort of money. The cash received allowed them to continue to build, and as a result, they’ve managed to win the title and Champions League since he departed.
Liverpool may be in a similar position with Mohamed Salah, as his contract is set to expire next year. If they were to offload the Egyptian winger this summer, it may be one step backwards temporarily, but with their excellent recruitment, they can take two steps forward for the future.
Aston Villa are benefiting from the Brazilian attacker now, who has made an excellent start to his return to England.
“When he left” and being “sold” are not the same thing. He wanted to go, and it was amazing that we got that much money for a player who made it clear he wouldn’t play for us another season.