Chelsea are being strongly linked to signing former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho over the last couple of weeks.
The current Barcelona player has been on loan with Bayern Munich after stuttering since his big money move from Liverpool two seasons ago. He has so far failed to show any of the consistent quality that he showed week in week out in the Premier League, and this has raised doubts from some over whether Chelsea boss Frank Lampard should take the gamble.
There is no doubt that his team lacked some real creativity in attack last season after losing Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, and Coutinho is the type of player that on his day, brings you exactly that. But his fee surely wont be cheap if Chelsea do want to sign him on a permanent deal as is what is being reported, so there is a risk.
And former Chelsea player Alan Hudson believes Chelsea should steer clear.
He told Caught Offside..
“I think there’s been something wrong with him (Coutinho) since leaving Liverpool where he was sensational. “The questions far outweigh the answers, and for me his form has been in a decline similar to Alexis Sanchez after leaving Arsenal.
“Frank’s job depends on his next big signing because of him bringing through a lot of kids, and l think Frank will give him a wide berth.”