Dutch Ronald Koeman faces a difficult task to restore
Barcelona, after he recently appointed as technical director
of the Spanish team, which has gone through painful domestic
and continental failures.
Amid expectations that the new coach will make extensive
changes to the Catalan squad, the Spanish sports newspaper
“Sport” said that Koeman is considering restoring Brazilian Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho was spending a loan period with Bayern Munich,
which ended at the end of the season, and contributed with him
to the Champions League title, Sunday, after a difficult victory
over Paris Saint-Germain with one goal.
Coutinho, 28, left his mark on Barcelona’s net in the quarter-
finals of the tournament, when he scored two goals in the
Bavarian team’s 8-2 victory over its opponent.
Coutinho moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in January 2018
for 140 million euros, but he failed to reserve a seat in the
squad due to his “fluctuating” level.
The former Inter Milan player loaned to the German giants
in the summer of 2019, with a clause allowing him to buy
for 120 million euros.
But according to “Sport”, it seems that Koeman is putting the
“samba” player in his plans for the next season, in his attempt to
build a team with new blood.
Barcelona out of the season empty-handed after losing the
League, the Domestic Cup and the Champions League, the first
time that it has suffered such failures since 2007.