Have said all along no way should we sell Coutinho. Our best player. We're not a selling club. Players sign contracts, they should honour them unless mutually disolved. Get him back playing, get good performances, it'll be water on the bridge. etc. etc.
But over the weeks he HAS increasingly pissed me off, no doubt. More than any player I can recall, including Chewy when he had his Barca wobble. Now to play for Brazil?, you're f**king kidding! Still think all of the above though... except the water under the bridge bit. Which is a major pity.
If he has a cracker of a season, great, but can't see him here past next summer - it'll just serve to reinforce his price. If he has a ropey season, so be it, just get a little less.
FSG nailed their colours to the mast, very publicly, and can't really back down ... even if they wanted to.
Will be interesting to see how Jürgen reacts. I'd say he's the kind of guy who will NOT forget this, who wants players who will fully buy into the team, the work ethic, the plan. If he could properly replace Coutinho, I reckon he would just call it a day now - but the way the window has gone, weighing up all the pros & cons, he/we simply can't afford to let someone like Coutinho go. It wouldn't surprise me if he dicks him around a bit, doesn't start him, makes him squirm a bit, show him who's boss. And who could blame him. It's a sh*t sandwich, everyone should have to take a bite. But he's not a Sahko, we will need to get the best we can out of him, so he has to walk that line.
Overall, reckon not selling is the right thing to do. This summer. Reassess next.
« Last Edit: Aug 29, 2017 09:34:14 pm by bmck »
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