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Rivaldo backs Philippe Coutinho to rediscover best form at Chelsea

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 23 April 2020

Barcelona legend Rivaldo is backing Philippe Coutinho to rediscover his best form should he make a return to the Premier League this summer.

Barcelona legend Rivaldo has backed Philippe Coutinho to rediscover his best form should he make a return to the Premier League this summer.

The former Liverpool man has struggled to assert himself at Camp Nou since his arrival, spending this season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he has contributed eight goals and six assists from 22 Bundesliga matches.

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign the Brazil international, and Rivaldo has expressed his opinion that his compatriot will benefit from a move to the blue side of London.

Speaking to Betfair, Rivaldo said: "After a season and a half at Barcelona and one more at Bayern Munich without managing to have the same success he had at Liverpool, I believe that this chance Philippe Coutinho now has of continuing his career at Chelsea could be a good option.

"He will move to a big club and to a country and competition he knows well where he had his best years so far, so if that transfer really happens, I'm sure he will have a good chance of seeing things improve for him in the future, after all, he has already shined in the Premier League before.

"Looking at Coutinho's last few years we can say that he didn't achieve what was expected of him, but he still has time to recover his best football and with his confidence back he could easily become the same player he was at Liverpool.

"I consider this to be just a not-so-good spell for him, but we can't say that he is playing poorly because it would be a lie, things are simply not running as well as many would expect when he left Liverpool to sign for Barcelona.

"Furthermore, next year we'll have Copa America and one year later the World Cup, so it would be important for Coutinho to be playing at a good European club in order not to lose his place in the national team when those big tournaments come around."

Coutinho has amassed 21 goals from 76 outings across all competitions for Barcelona, and will see his current deal at Camp Nou expire in 2023.