Philippe Coutinho

[Charly]

We have really only sold our best players to Barca and Madrid... and those teams are a force of nature even the Mancs suffer.

Torres being sold was a great decision in retrospect.

Perhaps being in the CL every year would have kept one or two of these players... but I seriously doubt it.

I think its just something we have to live with and plan around.

We should always have a couple of contingencies on paper in the event of losing any of our players. We have generally replaced poorly though... or not at all.

[bonzai]

We've won 1 trophy in 10 years. Maybe constantly selling our best players doesn't really work.

This.

[EwarWoo]

Had Torres stayed when Suarez arrived we'd have won the league by 10 points

He scored 1 goal in 18 appearances in the half season after the move. He was already shot, wouldn't have helped us.

Would say we played a blinder on that one other than we pissed away the money.

[Kenneth]

Depressing stat that but you’re right letting our better players go hasn’t really worked for us

Would not letting them leave have worked out better? I don't think so.

[RichC]

Would not letting them leave have worked out better? I don't think so.

Well we’ve no idea but we do know it hasn’t worked don’t we

[Paul12]

Something changed when we sold Alonso. I would walk over hot coals for Rafa but I will never accept that pissing Alonso off because he thought the team would be better with Barry and Keane was sensible. World class is world class.

Selling players for large amounts (Torres, Suarez and soon Couts) can be OK if the money is spent well. Carroll was a bad bad call (done I think more to show to supporters that the money from the Torres sale would not just be banked). Some of the Suarez money was wasted, the rest went on players that started badly (possibly because the manager got too 'clever').

By next season, Couts and probably Can and Sturridge will have gone. Keita will be there, plus hopefully two or three other improvements to the first 11 (funded by the Couts money). I think that sounds like potentially quite a step up.

[Kenneth]

Well we’ve no idea but we do know it hasn’t worked don’t we

Have we ever sold a key player without them actively wanting to leave? It's being framed as questionable decisions by the club but I think that's naive in these post Bosman times.

[Chris]

Have we ever sold a key player without them actively wanting to leave? It's being framed as questionable decisions by the club but I think that's naive in these post Bosman times.

You dont have to sell them just because they ask to leave you know! Suarez wanted to leave in 2013. We said no, he had the season of his life and we nearly won the league. Most are professional and get on with it after a little tantrum, Phil is doing fine this season, even Mahrez looks motivated at a nothing club like Leicester despite wanting out.

Thankfully it seems our days of letting our best players go so regularly are over anyway.

[Kenneth]

I'm pretty sure Suarez knew he was here for an extra season but could leave after that. If we'd decided to keep him indefinitely I suspect things would have been different.

[Norbs]

His thirst for blood would've seen him doing a long stretch by now

[Leyton388]

Get as much as we can out of him and sell him in the summer to PSG. Ruin his "Dream" move to Barca. Not fit to play for Liverpool but 100% fit to play for Brazil.

[Norbs]

Playing tonight, he better be fit to play at the weekend

[kev776]

He is limping, obviously still not fit

[Kenneth]

Still playing but doesn't look particularly fit

[Norbs]

He's a massive tool then for jeopardizing his fitness