SAYS PHILIPPE COUTINHO

PHILIPPE COUTINHO paid tribute to Liverpool as he was unveiled by Barcelona – but admitted the pull of the Nou Camp was too hard to resist.

Coutinho was officially introduced as a Barca player yesterday following his £142million switch and immediately sought to appease Liverpool fans angered by his move.

The Brazilian playmaker, whose move ensured the Reds made a staggering £133.5m profit on a player they signed for just £8.5m, said he gave all he could to end his former club’s long wait for the title, but in the end it was simply not enough.

“For sure, I gave everything I could,” said Coutinho, reflecting on his five years at Anfield that yielded no trophies, despite coming agonisingly close to the title in 2014.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t win, but in five years my family was very happy there, so I just would like to thank them and wish them all the best.

“I would like to thank Liverpool, the fans, staff, players and directors, who understood what I wanted, my dream, and they tried very hard to convince me to stay.

“To the fans who shared five years with me, thank you.”

Despite agitating for a move since the summer and refusing to relent until Liverpool were forced to let him go, Coutinho has sought to make the switch as smooth as possible.

But the 25-year-old wasted no time in hailing his new employers as the “best club in the world” upon his arrival and one he clearly feels can match his ambition, unlike the Merseysiders. ”Barca is the best club in the world,” said Coutinho.

“Great idols of mine played here or are playing here, so it was an easy decision. Many, many times I have dreamed of scoring important goals here. I have dreamed of playing here many times and now I’m very happy.

“This is the most important club of all. Great Brazilian players have been here and I hope to be able to contribute with more success.

“It’s incredible to know I will be around idols, with players who have such a great history like Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets – all the great players.

“To be able to play football, win titles, make the fans happy and play with a smile. These are the objectives.”

Titles were the one thing missing from Coutinho’s five-year spell with Liverpool, the failed Premier League bid and Europa League and EFL

Cup final defeats the closest he came to silverware.

Coutinho is not likely to suffer the same fate at Barca, who are currently nine points clear at the top of La

Liga, their only defeats this season coming to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup back in August.

Since then, Barca have been undefeated in 27 games in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, despite having lost Neymar in the summer to Paris Saint-germain in a world record £198m deal.

Coutinho revealed Brazil teammate Neymar, whom he has replaced at Barca, was one of the first to congratulate him on the move, but denied he felt any pressure to live up to his predecessor’s exploits.

“I play with Neymar for Brazil and we have been friends for years,” said Coutinho. “We are different players. He is obviously a great player but we have different qualities.

“Neymar congratulated me and told me there is an incredible team here.

“Paulinho and Luis Suarez already told me that, and I hope I can be very happy here.”

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted the club had been determined to land Coutinho since the summer, when they failed with three bids for the Brazilian playmaker, with Liverpool standing firm as the bids reached £120m. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get him,” said Bartomeu. “We have been talking and working for months on this, but one of the important aspects was he wanted to come here.”

Despite saying farewell to Liverpool, Coutinho could be back in England within six weeks as a spectator, when Barca travel to Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League on February 20, although he can’t play as he is cup-tied. By that stage he should have overcome the thigh issue that will delay his Barca debut.