Liverpool legend John Aldridge has called on the Reds to ignore a move for former player Philippe Coutinho and swoop for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha instead.
Jurgen Klopp’s team are perpetually linked with a return for Barcelona playmaker Coutinho. However, Aldridge believes the answer for Liverpool is rather closer to home.
“Coutinho left on a sour note as he forced his way out of the club and while he is a great player, I don’t think Liverpool should blow their transfer budget on bringing him back,” he told the Irish Independent.
“Wilfried Zaha is the one I think he should go for. Zaha has given Liverpool some real problems in the last couple of years and Klopp’s ability to turn talents of his type into consistent performers has to make him the kind of player who could thrive at Anfield.”
OPINION
Any move to bring Coutinho back to Anfield would obviously be divisive given how he left the club. However, you’d also be signing a player who has essentially been out of form for 18 months, ever since joining the Spanish champions. That would be a huge risk, especially given the colossal fee that would be inevitable for a player of Coutinho’s undoubted quality. Would Zaha be the answer, though? Yes, he’s given Liverpool problems in the past, but is that really a reason to sign him? He’s a talented player who is young enough to improve moving forward, and he’s undoubtedly made progress in recent years, but would he get in this Reds team at present? It’s hard to see where. Klopp would need to change his system to accommodate the Ivory Coast international. Again, he would cost a heck of a lot of money, so this is an interesting idea from Aldridge, but it might not happen any time soon.
