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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

According to French outlet Le10Sport, Liverpool are looking at making one of the most shocking moves of the summer by re-signing Philippe Coutinho just 18 months after he swapped Anfield for Camp Nou.

Coutinho’s first spell

Some time after the departure of Steven Gerrard and before the emergence of Mo Salah, Coutinho was Liverpool’s most influential player. 13 goals in 31 games during the 2017/18 season and seven goals in 14 the season after saw the 27-year-old signed by Barcelona for a staggering £142m.

Though his goal tally wasn’t unbelievable, it was the manner in which many of these strikes found the net which saw the Kop so endear to him.

He would often carry the team on his back when they were struggling and smash in a screamer to secure all three points for his team – in the Premier League alone, he scored 19 goals from outside the box.

Of the 54 goals he scored for the Reds in total, 15 of them were game-winning goals – defined as goals which put the scoreline in the direction it eventually ended in.

Some of his more memorable moments of genius came against Stoke on the opening day in 2015 and twice against Man City in crucial clashes.

Be the difference

It’s a tough sell to say that Liverpool are missing Coutinho. They’ve just won their sixth Champions League title, but a maiden Premier League honour may well have been won alongside that if the Brazillian was still at the club.

Klopp’s men lost just one league game last season, but a barrage of draws cost them the title. Liverpool dominated possession in draws against Everton , Leicester and West Ham, and were crying out for a player like the 27-year-old to change the game.

Indeed, Liverpool’s reliance on their front three doesn’t often let them down, but when it does, they sometimes lack inspiration from elsewhere. The aforementioned draws were games that were set up for a late piece of magic that only a player like Coutinho can provide.

Bringing their former star back from Barcelona may allow them to turn more of these draws into wins, and in turn, it could help them secure their first Premier League title. Coutinho can be that difference maker when deadlock seems inevitable.