Coutinho admits to teammates he wants to leave

Coutinho admits to teammates he wants to leave

BeSoccer 6 years ago 7.4k |

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Coutinho has struggled in Spain. AFP

Brazilian playmaker, Philipe Coutinho, has admitted to his teammates that he wants to leave the Spanish club at the end of the season. The Brazilian has struggled to nail down a starting sport under Ernesto Valverde and would like a return to the Premier League. Manchester United are the favourites to sign him, but Chelsea and PSG are also tracking the former Liverpool man.

Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho has apparently told his Brazil teammates that he wants to quit the Spanish side in the summer. The Brazilian has struggled in Spain since joining, and has failed to reach the same incredible heights that earned him a move from Liverpool to Barcelona in the first place.

Manchester United are the most likely side to sign him in the new Solskjaer revolution, but Chelsea are looking to get back to the heights they've seen in recent times, whilst PSG are looking for a squad that can finally bring in the illustrious Champions League trophy. Coutinho did previously say he didn't want to leave Barça and wanted to fight for his place, but that has apparently changed.

Many people have thought that the transfer fee (of 142 million euros) has put Pressure on Coutinho, but ESPN's Barcelona correspondent, Samuel Marsden, has claimed that it's to do with the position he's playing in, and not the fee. “I’m not sure his form is do with the fee, I think it’s more to do with a positional thing,” Marsden said.

“Robert Fernandez, the sporting director who signed him, but who is now not in the job, he does punditry on television, and he’s spoken a bit about Coutinho in the last few weeks. He’s of the firm opinion that Coutinho’s best position would be in midfield, and the idea was that he would come and sort of step into [Andres] Iniesta’s role, on that inside left position, and from the start of the season that’s where we did see him play." Marsden added.

But Valverde then made the decision that he wanted an extra midfielder who would defend, something Coutinho is not used to doing, so the Brazilian was pushed out to the left hand side, where he sometimes struggles to get his best assets in to the game. This has led to his confidence being shot and he is now struggling to get back to his best form.

This has led to him wanting to leave, and it appears that Manchester United is the most likely destination should he make this decision. Coutinho has bagged 9 goals and assisted 5 times this season for Barcelona.