Giovani Lo Celso has been a breathe of fresh air in recent months.
But without a single Premier League goal or assist to his name to date, it is clear he will need some help in filling the void left by Christian Eriksen.
Lo Celso seems most suited to playing in a midfield two, which gives us a deeper creative outlet levels beyond even what Mousa Dembele offered – the last time that area of the pitch felt as if it had any semblance of balance.
That gives us room for a genuine playmaker further up the park, and Sky Sports believe that man could be Philippe Coutinho, who is apparently wanted by four English clubs on loan for next season, including Spurs.
Sky Sports understands that Bayern Munich are unlikely to take up their option to buy the 27-year-old Brazilian international, who will be made available on loan again by Barcelona next season, whenever that might be.
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Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are also said to be interested, and normally I wouldn’t give us much chance of competing in this market.
But if you dig a little deeper…
Manchester United – May well be keen, but Coutinho might be put off going here to protect his Liverpool legacy. A move to Old Trafford also eliminates the prospect of one back to Anfield at any point in the future.
Chelsea – I’d have made them the favourites but can’t see short-term loans fitting into Frank Lampard’s way of operating. Why would this supposed great champion of young, English talent bring in a player who is going to eat into Mason Mount, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus Cheek’s minutes?
Arsenal – The Gunners have a rookie manager and are the furthest away from Champions League qualification, if and when the season rumes. Coutinho has flopped at Barcelona but his performances for Bayern, against us alone, show he still belongs at the top level of European football.
Tottenham – Need to conduct a lot of transfer business this summer without spending a lot of money so will be on the lookout for creative solutions such as loans and free transfers. Daniel Levy may be more generous with wages with players who arrive via these routes.
Another fruitless rumour from the Donna Cullen/Spurs spin machine. If you read Sport Witness this morning, if that is a good source, it reveals that Coutinho was ready to move to Spurs last summer, but at the last moment, our beloved chairman moved the goalposts, and tried to renegotiate the terms. I doubt he will be coming to Spurs, and this sort of tactic was another likely reason for the breakdown in relations between the chairman and the manager.
We will need champions league football to have any chance of geiting him