Philippe Coutinho appears poised to force an exit from yet another club, as Jurgen Klopp’s cautionary words continue to ring true. The Brazilian, who was famously warned he would regret departing Liverpool as he sought a transfer to Barcelona during the 2017/18 season, has taken his current club, Vasco da Gama, aback by declaring his intention to terminate his contract.
Reports from Brazil suggest that the news blindsided Vasco, who had actually initiated discussions with the 33-year-old about a new contract. Coutinho’s existing deal was set to run out in June. Despite attempts to persuade him otherwise, Brazilian outlet Globo has claimed the decision is “irreversible.”
It’s further stated that the decision stems from criticism he has faced from fans after being booed during a recent home game.
This marks another turbulent episode in a career that has been in decline since Klopp advised him just before his departure for Barcelona in early 2018: “Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more.
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Coutinho disregarded that advice by departing in a club-record £142million transfer to Barcelona. However, rather than reaching new pinnacles alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the Brazilian playmaker’s trajectory took a downward turn which saw him become something of a wanderer.
His Nou Camp ordeal, which featured a loan stint at Bayern Munich, ended in 2022. An effort to revive his career at Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard began promisingly but ultimately faltered following his former Liverpool colleague’s dismissal.
Whilst Unai Emery sparked a remarkable transformation at Villa Park, he was unable to extract the finest performances from the enigmatic Coutinho, who was promptly sent out on loan.
There were periods at Al-Duhail in Qatar and Vasco before he completed a permanent move from Villa to the latter last year. Yet what ought to have been a sentimental return to his boyhood club has deteriorated.
Approaching 34 in the summer and having not represented Brazil since 2022, Coutinho may be questioning whether he should have heeded Klopp’s advice after all.