Big things were expected from Philippe Coutinho when he made an ambitious switch from Liverpool to Barcelona following an outstanding spell of performances at Anfield. However, the Coutinho of old has seemed like a completely different person than the one we see right now in Barcelona.
The Brazilian was exiled from the first-team squad last season and sent on loan to Bayern Munich, with whom he won the treble whilst scoring two goals against his parent club in Bayern’s 8-2 decimation of the Catalonian club.
This season, he has featured in 10 of the 14 games that Barcelona have played in La Liga, and he has only managed to score twice, with another couple of assists to his name.
With Barcelona’s increasingly competitive midfield, stacked with the likes of Pjanic, Busquets, De Jong and upcoming youngsters like Carles Alena and Riqui Puig, Coutinho must provide some serious value if he is to retain his position in the starting lineup.
The fact that Messi is often being deployed in the number 10 role, with Ousmane Dembele, Trincao, Pedri or Ansu Fati taking on the wider roles is also bad news for the Brazilian in terms of game time.
Hence, sacrificing an option in attacking midfield, and signing a defender would be the smart move for Barcelona. The financial condition at the club demands that somebody is taken off the book.
And this is where the arrival of David Alaba becomes extremely favourable.
The Austrian will be free to negotiate a pre-contract with any club of his choosing, and Barcelona have the advantage of being one of the defender’s favoured destinations. Furthermore, he will be available for free in the summer, when his contract with Bayern Munich expires.
Owing to Barcelona’s recent performances and a long list of injuries at the back, the signing of Alaba makes perfect sense and could be the most sensible piece of business that the club does in the weeks to come.
