Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has reflected on one of the most emotional chapters of his Anfield journey — the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona back in 2018.
Coutinho had been one of Liverpool’s brightest stars when Barcelona came calling during the 2017/18 season. Despite Klopp’s attempts to persuade the Brazilian to stay, the midfielder was determined to complete his dream move to Spain.
> “Stay here and they’ll build a statue of you,” Klopp reportedly told Coutinho at the time. “Go to Barcelona or Madrid, and you’ll just be another player.”
But the Brazilian playmaker didn’t listen. In January 2018, Coutinho sealed a blockbuster £142 million transfer to Barcelona — a record-breaking fee for a Premier League player at that time.
While Coutinho struggled to replicate his Liverpool form in Spain, the Reds used the funds from his sale to rebuild their squad — signing the likes of Alisson Becker and Fabinho, two key pillars behind the club’s Champions League triumph in 2019 and Premier League glory in 2020.
Coutinho’s story, meanwhile, took a different turn. His spell at Barcelona was plagued by inconsistency and injuries, leading to loan moves and eventually a permanent transfer to Aston Villa for just £17 million. After short stints with Bayern Munich and Al-Duhail in Qatar, he has now returned home to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama — the club where it all began.
Speaking recently on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp admitted that despite the financial benefits of the sale, it wasn’t a day of celebration for him.
> “When we sold Phil, that wasn’t a good day for me,” Klopp said. “I lost a player I wanted to work with for the next ten years. Of course, we invested the money wisely later on, but at that moment, it was painful.”
The German tactician went on to explain how such moments shape a manager’s long-term planning.
> “You can win games, but that doesn’t always solve the real problem,” Klopp added. “For Liverpool, that sale changed our future, but it wasn’t what I wanted at the time.”
In hindsight, Coutinho’s exit became one of football’s greatest ironies — the move that seemed like a loss for Liverpool actually paved the way for one of the club’s most successful eras under Klopp.
Liverpool.com says: Coutinho’s journey serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes, walking away from Anfield doesn’t guarantee greener pastures. While Liverpool grew stronger, Coutinho’s career trajectory showed just how hard it is to reach the same heights once you leave Klopp’s red empire. ❤️🔥
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