Who Should Replace Coutinho?

What Liverpool fans were dreading for the entirety of last summer came to fruition this past weekend. Coutinho traded in his Merseyside-red shirt for the most famous kit in Catalonia. Barcelona have paid a king’s ransom of £142 million total for the attacking midfielder known as “the Little Magician”. That number makes him, at the present moment, the second-most expensive transfer ever (Kylian Mbappe is still considered on loan at Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco, though his transfer of £166.4 million has already been agreed upon). The add-ons in the deal- which are based on Coutinho’s pending performance with Barcelona- are likely to be achieved, considering Barcelona are currently running La Liga comparable to the same level of dominance that Bayern Munich are running the Bundesliga.

While Andres Iniesta is unquestionably one of the greatest midfielders of the past 10 years, Coutinho should have no problem filling the Spaniard’s shoes when the time inevitably comes. Who will fill the hole in Liverpool’s midfield, however, comes with a less transparent answer. Rumors of what the club should do with the sudden influx of cash are abundant this winter transfer window, ranging from Jurgen Klopp waiting until the summer to spend, to Naby Keita joining Liverpool a half-season earlier than expected. The remedy is expected to come sooner rather than later, and here are just some of the options possibly available to replace Philippe Coutinho.

Nabil Fekir

Nabil Fekir is, in my humble opinion, the best realistic choice to replace Coutinho. With an impressive 16 goals and 4 assists in all competitions, including four braces, Fekir has helped vault Olympique Lyon into 3rd place in Ligue 1 and into the Round of 32 in the Europa League where they will face Villarreal. He plays similarly to Coutinho in that he loves to dribble in the half-space and isn’t afraid to take the long shot, proven by his goal of the season candidate back in August against Bordeaux in which he scored from the half-way line. He can take set pieces as well, as four of his goals have come from penalties and free kicks. Add in his creativity and spectacular control, and Fekir has all the traits needed to emulate the former Liverpool attacker.