{"id":265568,"date":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/02\/coutinho-2-0-liverpool-could-sign-one-of-the-most-exciting-young-talents\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","slug":"coutinho-2-0-liverpool-could-sign-one-of-the-most-exciting-young-talents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/02\/coutinho-2-0-liverpool-could-sign-one-of-the-most-exciting-young-talents\/","title":{"rendered":"Coutinho 2.0: Liverpool could sign “one of the most exciting young talents”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For Florian Wirtz, Philippe Coutinho is arguably the benchmark at Liverpool<\/a> when it comes to modern-day attacking midfielders, the Brazilian having been immense during his Anfield pomp.<\/p>\n

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Coutinho, sold on to Barcelona on a \u00a3142m deal<\/a>, knows all about being weighed down by a price tag and expectation, with it fair to say he’s never got close again to the player who dazzled on Merseyside.<\/p>\n

In Wirtz’s case, the 23-year-old was the talismanic figure back at Bayer Leverkusen, yet his own big-money move has backfired thus far, the Reds yet to see the best of their \u00a3116m-rated playmaker.<\/p>\n

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\n <\/picture>Action Images via Reuters\/Jason Cairnduff<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

His recent woes do beg the question – will Liverpool sign another number ten in January?<\/p>\n

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\n Should Liverpool sign a player to rival Wirtz in January?<\/strong>
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Let’s face it, it was a forgettable first season in English football for the German, rounding things off with just eight goals and assists to his name in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

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\n \"florian-wirtz-career-stats\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

For a man who had reached double figures for each of those two metrics across each of his last two Bundesliga campaigns, the drop off has been stark in a Liverpool shirt.<\/p>\n

New boss Andoni Iraola has persisted with him thus far in the early weeks of 2026\/27, although Wirtz has just a solitary assist to show for it, leading to calls from the likes of Jamie Carragher to oust him from the starting lineup.<\/p>\n

The problem is, the Reds don’t appear to have a standout alternative in that number ten berth, having notably sent Harvey Elliott out on loan again to Valencia.<\/p>\n

Dominik Szoboszlai, by his own admission, is at his best in a box-to-box number eight role, leaving Iraola a little light on options to partner Alexander Isak in attack.<\/p>\n

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\"Florian-Wirtz-Liverpool-Isak\"\n <\/picture>Action Images via Reuters\/Jason Cairnduff<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

There have been whispers that Barcelona’s Dani Olmo<\/a> could be on the agenda heading into 2027, as the Reds seek reinforcements, although FSG could well target someone more in the Coutinho mould instead.<\/p>\n

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\n How Liverpool could sign the new Coutinho in January<\/strong>
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Coutinho’s departure came in January 2018, amid something of a sliding-doors moment for the Jurgen Klopp era, while he’d also arrived at the club in the winter window five years earlier.<\/p>\n