Philippe Coutinho to Chelsea is a rumor that just will not go away

Despite a transfer ban being in the cards at some point, Chelsea is continuously linked to Philippe Coutinho at every turn.

Last summer, Antoine Griezmann flirted with the idea of joining Barcelona before ultimately having a big moment where he opted to stay at Atletico Madrid in the most anticlimactic fashion. But with nothing really having changed besides the passage of a year, Griezmann has decided he is leaving. It has not been confirmed that it will be Barcelona, but it is expected.

That launched a fresh set of rumors on Philippe Coutinho making his exit to create a spot for Griezmann. Coutinho’s transfer saga with Barcelona was drawn out and much was expected of him when he arrived. But Ernesto Valverde never figured out an effective way to use the Brazilian and anything short of brilliance at Barcelona is a failure.

Chelsea has been linked with nearly every rumor. Apparently the Blues are one of the few clubs interested in the Brazilian provided the transfer ban is delayed. Because the rumor will not go away, there is surely some fire to all that smoke somewhere.

At Barcelona, if a player is only good then they are not good enough. Cesc Fabregas knew that well and Coutinho exists on the same level. So set aside what his Barcelona tenure has been and remember what his Liverpool tenure was. Now, many will say Liverpool improved without him which is a half truth. Liverpool improved because they used the cash acquired from the sale of Coutinho to strengthen areas in desperate need rather than buying a like for like replacement.

That last bit is relevant to Chelsea as Eden Hazard looks sure to leave. There is nothing that says the Blues have to go buy a winger to replace Hazard if he goes. Striker is by and far a more pressing need. Flipping the Hazard cash into Coutinho would be mostly a waste, depending on how he would be used.

Coutinho is highly versatile. For the most part, he played as a winger at Liverpool. Later on, Jurgen Klopp started using him as a central midfielder. Valverde played around with both concepts at Barcelona. Maurizio Sarri could look at Coutinho as similar to Dries Mertens and move him into a false nine role.

Coutinho would be a big, expensive signing. And he would do well for Chelsea but he should not be priority one. If the club is intent on signing Coutinho that is fine but it has to be after a striker is brought in or all other options for striker are exhausted. No, Gonzalo Higuain is not a good enough option.

Of course all this is theoretical with the transfer ban in play. Barcelona will not sit on Coutinho as they wait to hear Chelsea’s fate. The Spanish side will shop the Brazilian out to the usual suspects (Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain, any Italian club with more money than sense).

Chelsea may want Coutinho, and they may be the only club constantly linked, but outside factors may prevent the move from ever being more than theoretical.