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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Nathan Ridley

Philippe Coutinho could recapture three factors he loved at Liverpool with Arsenal transfer

Philippe Coutinho could recapture three factors he loved at Liverpool by moving to Arsenal.

The Barcelona midfielder is on the Nou Camp chopping block this summer as the club look to remedy their financial situation which saw Lionel Messi leave for Paris Saint-Germain thanks to the statutes of La Liga's salary cap.

Coutinho spent five years at Anfield swapping Merseyside for Catalonia but has struggled since his £142million transfer in January 2018, funding Jurgen Klopp's moves for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

Although Ronald Koeman is believed to be content if he stays, the 29-year-old future looks to be elsewhere, having recently recovered from a knee injury which saw him miss most of last season.

Philippe Coutinho has found life as a Barcelona player tough after leaving Liverpool in 2018 (Getty Images)

That is where the Gunners come in, who are sorely in need of creativity following their 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Brentford on the opening day of the new Premier League season.

In recent days, a swap deal with either Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette has been mooted for Coutinho.

He could then continue to peruse the aims he had at Liverpool if he makes the move to north London.

Speaking to LFC TV in 2015, the playmaker said: "My objective has always been to play at a big club, to grow and evolve as a footballer and have a run of games."

Despite their struggles since the departure of Arsene Wenger, the Gunners certainly remain a big club.

Game time would also seemingly be no issue as manager Mikel Arteta has room for more quality in his attack.

Martin Odegaard and James Maddison have been heavily linked with switches to the Emirates, but Coutinho's pedigree and proven Premier League output could put him above the rest.

Philippe Coutinho rose to stardom in five years at Anfield (AFP)

Should Arsenal target Coutinho? Comment your thoughts below.

Barca boss Koeman, however, recently touted the Brazil international to help fill the Messi-shaped void.

The Dutchman told ESPN : "Of course we will have more difficulties to score goals. Messi scored 30 goals last season.

"So other players need to bring more and take the next step and it's more about the team now than individual players," Koeman stated.

"It's not always one player, you have to do it together. Hopefully, we get players back from injury like Ansu Fati and Coutinho and then we still have a strong squad."

The ex-Everton manager added: "We will work harder, we will do more to achieve what people expect from us."

Although, Coutinho was left out of the Blaugrana's squad for their opening game of the season on Saturday, a 4-1 win at home to Real Sociedad.

Gerard Pique, who recently agreed a wage cut in return for a guaranteed stay at the Nou Camp for two more years, opened the scoring before Martin Braithwaite struck twice and Sergi Roberto - also reported to have decreased his salary to help the club register new signings - netted late on.

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