It has now been more than two years since Liverpool agreed to sell wantaway star Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for a fee of £143million.
Since that point, his fall from grace has been well-documented.
A string of below-par performances at Camp Nou saw him booed by his own fans in Spain, the first sign perhaps that the dream switch was fast becoming a nightmare.
This year, he was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, with the German side having the option to purchase him on a permanent deal this summer for a fee of another £109million, plus the £7.8million they paid to have him for the season.
That is not an option they are seemingly going to take up.
Speaking on a special Blood Red podcast, Bundesliga commentator and German football expert Kevin Hatchard explained that Bayern Munich never intended to purchase Coutinho once his loan deal expired even when that clause was initially agreed.
He said: “Bayern felt it was an expedient signing at the time. It was a guy that could do a job for them in the short term.
“I don’t think Bayern were ever going to sign him permanently because the clause was set very, very high.
“Look at the role James Rodriguez played – they had the option to sign him but they didn’t.
“It would have taken something truly exceptional for Bayern to part with that kind of cash.
“He’s done well and we have seen games where he’s performed in the way that Liverpool fans would remember.
“But is he in their best XI? I don’t think he is, no.
“If Bayern had a Champions League final tomorrow, he would not be in the starting XI.
“He’s nice to have but he is not a player that they need.”
And that pretty much underlines the problem that Coutinho faces this summer: like when he was playing at Anfield, the Brazilian is almost a luxury player.
He is also a player who does not necessarily fit into the system at most of the very elite clubs in world football.
At Barcelona, like at Liverpool, Coutinho does not perhaps have a clear role in the 4-3-3 formation that both clubs favour, while at Bayern, Hansi Flick prefers Thomas Muller, who has come back into form after a tough couple of years, in the number 10 berth.
For a team to completely redesign their system in order to fit one man into it, they have to be at the standard of Lionel Messi – something Coutinho, like many players, falls just short of.
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Hatchard added: “A lot of clubs don’t know where to play him.
“He is going to be a specific fit for somebody but it is about whether clubs need him.
“It’s also going to depend on how much Barcelona lower his price-tag but I don’t think they can afford to lower it that much.
“Barcelona need to raise money – it has emerged recently just what dire straights they will be in if they don’t.
“The difficult thing is that they don’t know where to play him either.”
Quique Setien has replaced Ernesto Valverde as Barcelona boss since Coutinho departed on loan last summer, so there is still a chance that the Brazilian could be handed a second chance to impress at the Camp Nou.
But whether he ends up staying put, or helps the Catalan side raise much-needed cash, the chief problem for the player himself is determining his most effective position.
Philippe Coutinho struggling as familiar Liverpool problem resurfaces - Liverpool Echo
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