Staff Writers
Earlier this month, FC Barcelona completed its signing of Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho for a club record £142 million ($176 million/₿15000). The former Liverpool man had been expressing his interest for some time before the move indeed came to fruition. The deal’s cost surpassed what was spent for Ousmane Dembele, who Barcelona signed this past summer, for the most expensive transfer fee in the club’s history.
“This is an honor for me. It’s a great honor.” Coutinho said at his first press conference at Barcelona. “It’s my dream to be here.”
Coutinho is eligible to make his debut for his new club on Jan. 25 when Barca faces RCD Espanyol at home in the second leg of the Copa del Rey matchup, which the team currently trails 1-0 in on aggregate.
Though eligible to play in the Copa del Rey competition and in La Liga, the Brazilian will not be allowed to play in the Champions League this season. Barcelona’s next match in Europe’s biggest competition will be on Feb. 20 at Chelsea in the first leg of the round of 16 meeting.
Currently, Barcelona stands on top of La Liga with an unblemished record of 17-3-0. The closest team to them is Atletico Madrid who are 11 points behind them. Meanwhile, rivals Real Madrid are a whopping 19 points behind the league leaders, albeit with a game in hand.
Already with such a quality roster that has been so successful this season under first-year head coach Ernesto Valverde, it will be interesting to see how Coutinho fits into the team.
