Now that Coutinho is a Barcelona player, you’d think the Catalan press would stop talking about his transfer, but they really can’t help themselves.
Clearly delighted with the fact their beloved club got the player they wanted, Mundo Deportivo do, however, reveal the La Liga leaders had a contingency plan had they failed to sign the Brazilian entirely, and his name was Christian Eriksen.
The outlet explain the Tottenham player became their plan B after the summer transfer window shut and Coutinho was still at Liverpool, and they were serious about it.
Travelling quite a few times to watch him play, Robert Fernandez even sounded him out a few times, and it all made a lot more sense.
A direct replacement for Andrés Iniesta, the Tottenham star was also, ‘more affordable’ than Coutinho, considering how much Barcelona ended up spending on him in the end.
Yet they continued to focus on their plan A, mostly because the Brazilian was putting pressure on Liverpool to get a deal done, but also due to the fact a certain Lionel Messi asked for his signature during his personal renewal talks.
Then came the direct contact with Eriksen’s entourage, made at a time when Coutinho to Barcelona was firmly off, and that’s when they gave up entirely, as they were told getting a transfer sorted would be ‘as impossible as signing Coutinho, or even more so’.
In the end, they got the man Lionel Messi wanted, and one who wanted to be there.
It might not be the best fit, but they’ll make it work. They somehow always do.
