Xavi provides insight into Coutinho's Barcelona future
Martin Macdonald
- 6 Jan 2022 02:34 CST
- 3 min read
Barcelona head coach Xavi has revealed that he has not spoken to Philippe Coutinho about the Brazilian's future at the club, but conceded that player departures need to happen in the January transfer window.
After Ousmane Dembele failed to immediately replace Neymar in his first six months at Barcelona, the Blaugrana threw money at the problem again by purchasing Coutinho for an outrageous initial fee of €122m plus bonuses.
The move has turned out to be a disaster for all parties as Coutinho has failed to make an impact on the team, regularly taking up the same positions as Lionel Messi which is a no-go.
TRENDING
He returned to the club after he failed to earn a permanent move to Bayern after a loan deal.
Messi is no longer there anymore which presented an opportunity for Coutinho to impress, but injuries and a lack of form have hampered any impact he could have made.
Crucially, the Brazilian has also allegedly been criticised by his team-mates for his workrate recently both in training, in warm-ups and in matches.
He has recorded just two La Liga assists from the start of last season up until now.
Coutinho has been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League in January, with Newcastle, Aston Villa and even former club Liverpool mentioned as possible destinations.
He is one of a number of high earners that the club is actively looking to move on as soon as possible, as the wage bill at Camp Nou must be drastically reduced before new signings like Ferran Torres can be registered to play.
What did Xavi say about Coutinho?
“I haven’t spoken with Philippe about this, he has helped us when he has played,” Xavi told reporters when asked about a potential January departure for Coutinho.
“To have incomings, there have to be outgoings. We are waiting for the registration of Alves also, and you have to balance things.
“I haven’t spoken with Philippe about the situation.”
