The ex-Blues defender is not convinced that a Brazilian playmaker is required at Stamford Bridge, despite his previous victory in England with Liverpool.
Chelsea have been warned off a movement for Philippe Coutinho, with Frank Leboeuf unable to determine where the Brazilian playmaker would fit into Frank Lampard’s plans.
A big-money strategy from Stamford Bridge for the South American schemer was mooted.
With Coutinho trying hard to prove his worth in a loan spell at Bayern Munich, it’s not likely that a purchase option will be taken up by the German giants and that will induce the 27-year-old back to parent team Barcelona.
Chelsea are among those believed to be keen on offering Coutinho a fresh slate and, given his previous success in British football at Anfield, he could be regarded as a useful asset for any ambitious Premier League side needing additional creativity.
Leboeuf is, however, not convinced that a young Chelsea team are the best match, with their clear questions to ask of Coutinho’s confidence and shape on the back of 2 high-profile flops.
Quizzed by ESPN FC on if he can see a deal being done, former Blues defender Leboeuf said: “I do not think so.
“Coutinho has been great with Liverpool, so far bad with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“I would have a great deal of question marks seeing him coming to Chelsea, to bring what?
“We have young players, very talented, who are extremely promising. We’ve got good midfield players with [Mateo] Kovacic and Jorginho, to perform the match.
“I do not know where his place is.
Coutinho spent five years in Liverpool, taking in 201 looks and contributing 54 goals.
He found the goal 21 times in 76 trips for Barca but failed to make the impact expected of him on the back of a £105 million ($121m) transfer.
That led to him being loaned out to Bayern, however, the present campaign, which has been disrupted by coronavirus-enforced postponements, has delivered only nine goals and eight assists through 32 matches in all competitions.
