Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has suggested that Chelsea winger Eden Hazard would be a better signing for the Reds rather than Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho.
Talk of an Anfield return for the Brazilian is never far away, but Lawrenson believes that the Barca star would be an expensive mistake for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
“It’s not necessarily bridges burned, I just don’t think they need him back,” he told Goal. “I think Coutinho needs to be the number one player in the team, which is why he has struggled a little bit at Barca.
“If Chelsea suddenly said give us £100million for Eden Hazard, you would take him in a heartbeat. But I think he might be learning Spanish as we speak!”
OPINION
This is an interesting little comparison from Lawrenson. Coutinho is obviously younger at 26 than Hazard at 28, but the Chelsea star is undoubtedly a more consistent game-changing talent. We’ve seen throughout his time at Barcelona that Coutinho can’t quite produce for a world class team on a game-to-game basis. Hazard, though, would likely excel whatever team he’s playing for. He’s a top class player and a move to Barca or, more likely, Real Madrid is long overdue for him. Having Hazard at Liverpool, though, would be extremely interesting. If you asked most Liverpool supporters whether they’d rather their team signed Hazard or Coutinho, they would probably go for the former. The Chelsea star is a proven Premier League performer who would undoubtedly flourish in Klopp’s team. However, it’s hugely unlikely that we ever see Hazard wearing Liverpool red. Lawrenson’s right on Coutinho, though, Liverpool don’t really need him anymore. They’ve moved on from the Brazilian.
