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John Arne Riise Is Spot On With His Comments On Coutinho Situation

John Arne Riise Is Spot On With His Comments On Coutinho Situation

The fans favourite has weighed up...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Philippe Coutinho wants to leave Liverpool and former Red John Arne Riise has reacted with a refreshingly honest and measured response.

The Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona and today was an eventful day in the saga.

Image: PA

It all started out with the Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, posting a lengthy statement and stressing how their talisman is not for sale - the same stance they have maintained throughout the summer despite Barca's desperation to bring him to the Nou Camp.

Then came the news that Coutinho had handed in a transfer request, which was subsequently denied by Liverpool through leading journalists with ties to the club. But the next chapter in the story arrived soon after, when further details arrived and those same journalists, such as James Pearce from the Liverpool Echo, confirmed the Brazilian had confirmed his desire to leave the club in the form of an email.

Liverpool are maintaining that he will not be sold, but one would expect Barcelona to table another bid now that the player has made his intentions public.

And Arne Riise, a firm fans favourite at Anfield in his seven years there, weighed in with his thoughts.

At first, the Norwegian wasn't happy with how things transpired today, merely a day before Liverpool kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Watford.

He continued to offer his thoughts on what he deems to be a "tough situation" for all parties, before urging Liverpool fans not to vilify him in the same way they did to Raheem Sterling and Fernando Torres, if he does move to Barca.

But in his final Tweet, the 36-year old did conclude that the timing of the transfer request was wrong and said it could have been played better

Is Riise spot on in regards to the Coutinho situation? Will he be a Barcelona player by the time the transfer window slams shut?

Sound off in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho, John Arne Riise