Barcelona: Much to the relief of the Barcelona fans, head coach Ronald Koeman claimed that Philippe Coutinho is set for a second chance at Camp Nou after reported news of his departure came forward.
“Philippe needs another week of training before being in the squad,” Koeman said in a news conference on Friday. “For me, he’s a great player and he can be important for Barca. I am absolutely counting on him for this season.”
Coutinho made a dream transfer to the club of his dreams from Liverpool which was deemed as one of the record signings for the Blaugranas. Since then Coutinho has played 90 games for Barcelona finding the net 24 times. He spent the 2019-2020 season in Germany for Bayern Munich on loan, before returning to Spain only to play 14 games before taking on a serious knee injury.
With speculations of interest from AC Milan and Arsenal to sign the Brazilian international on the table, the departure of talisman Lionel Messi ensured Coutinho as one of the main men entrusted with the task of taking the club forward.
Some names are still set to leave, with Koeman telling them to find a new destination if they want regular game time. Koeman is impressed with the performances of Martin Braithwaite and is set to retain the forward who began the season with a brace against Real Sociedad.
Barcelona were held in a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao this Saturday. Although Coutinho was not on the list to travel to Bilbao, he is set to be back for Barcelona’s clash against Getafe on the third matchday in La Liga.
