Tottenham move would make sense for Coutinho

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham are interested in signing Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho on a season-long loan deal. The transfer window shuts on Thursday evening for Premier League clubs.

The team from north London would have to be quick to complete negotiations with the Catalan giants, who are looking to sell the Brazilian star but have reportedly not had any bids matching their £80million valuation of the player.

A return to the Premier League would suit Coutinho

The Brazilian joined the Blaugrana in the January transfer window of 2018 from Liverpool for a reported fee of £142million. Expectations were high amongst everybody connected with Barcelona after a long chase to sign the playmaker. However, it is fair to say that Coutinho’s stint at Barcelona has been underwhelming.

He has struggled to find his best form. In truth, Coutinho has struggled to find a position in the Barcelona starting line-up. It was always going to be difficult for the Brazilian, as the Catalan team have such a set way of playing with three forwards.

Coutinho was never really used in his favoured position at Barcelona. He never really played as a forward for Liverpool.

Tottenham and Coutinho a good combination

If the reports about Manchester United attempting to sign Spurs playmaker Christian Eriksen are true, Coutinho could be the perfect replacement for the Danish international. He can play as a number ten or even cutting in from the left flank. He can also play in the centre of midfield, although the position is not his strongest.

Tottenham have some highly-talented attacking players in the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Heung Min-Son and Lucas Moura. Coutinho would certainly compliment the current attacking players currently plying their trade in north London.

Adding Coutinho to that group could make Spurs an even more potent attacking force. An attacking midfielder may not seem like a priority signing. However, Coutinho on loan seems like a no-brainer for any Premier League team that can pay his wages.

According to Sky Sports, Spurs have already agreed a fee of £64.4million with Juventus for forward Paulo Dybala. Reports elsewhere claim that the north London club are interested in signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon and also Giovani Lo Celso.

All three players are highly-rated. However, none of them have Premier League experience. Granted Dybala is more of a forward than an attacking midfielder, so Spurs may make a move for the Argentine and another midfielder who can play in the more advanced roles.

The likes of Fernandes and Lo Celso would cost big fees. Meanwhile Coutinho is likely to only cost a low loan fee. He could just prove to be Tottenham’s best option before the transfer window shuts.

Tottenham the closest challengers to City and Liverpool

When it comes to the Premier League title race, champions Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool are once again expected to dominate. No team seems capable of getting anywhere near them for the title next season.

However, for most, Tottenham are the best of the rest. The fact that Spurs are odds of 18/1 to win the title next season, shows just how much of a gap there is between the top two and the rest. If Tottenham can bring in a quality attacking midfield player and also another forward, then they are well capable of bridging the gap to the two next season.

The signing of Coutinho on loan really would make sense and could work out very well for all parties involved. If he impressed then the north London club would probably then be willing to pay the fee to keep the Brazilian next summer.

Whether the 27-year-old will get a return to the Premier League before the transfer shuts is unclear. However, currently he is not likely to see much game time in Catalonia, so a move to Spurs looks like his best option.

Will Philippe Coutinho join Tottenham before the summer transfer window shuts?