Versatile Coutinho revs up Valverde

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde is looking forward to working with Philippe Coutinho after the club announced his arrival in a record-breaking move on Saturday.

Coutinho, 25, will move from Liverpool in a deal worth $192 million, the third-largest transfer in soccer history and a club-record deal for Barcelona.

The Brazilian has agreed a contract through to 2023 at Camp Nou, with Barcelona fans seeing him as the longterm successor to Andres Iniesta.

Valverde is aiming to make the most of the Brazilian’s adaptability and ability to play in a range of positions.

“I think he can bring a lot to the team. He scores and sets up goals, and going forward he can help us a lot as he can play both inside and out wide,” Valverde said after Barca’s 3-0 La Liga win over Levante on Sunday.

“He is versatile and we can take advantage of his versatility.”

The deal had been in the pipeline for months, with Barca failing with several bids in August after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record $264 million deal.

Having previously kept tight-lipped about Coutinho, Valverde can now look forward to welcoming him into his lineup for a busy second half of the season.

“It is a signing that has been talked about for a long time, although it was not something I was keen to discuss,” said Valverde, whose team is unbeaten in La Liga and sits nine points clear of second-place Atletico Madrid at the top of the standings.

“He is here now, and good luck to him, because if he has luck it will be good for us.”

Capable of playing on the wing and in a more withdrawn midfield role, Coutinho’s arrival provides a wealth of new options to Valverde, although he will not be able to play in the Champions League knockout phase having already featured in the competition for Liverpool.