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Published 18:24 9 Aug 2017 BST
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An attack featuring any combination of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Dominic Solanke, as well as cameos from a young Ben Woodburn and sometimes unavailable Daniel Sturridge would, and have, caused any opposition serious problems - with or without the mercurial talents of Coutinho.
But there are a number of ways in which Coutinho's departure would hurt Liverpool, that are slightly more abstract than his absence from the pitch in any given game. The first is the message it would send to fans, players and prospective signings, that Liverpool, for all their boasts of wealth, are happy to cash in on their best players.
Barring a Hoffenheim-shaped obstacle, Anfield will host Champions League football this season, and much of the talk around Anfield has been about strengthening for that challenge. In Salah, Solanke and potentially Virgil van Dijk they will have, but to lose your shining light on the precipice of such a showcase? It would not be a good look.
Liverpool's line of top-level talent can't be consecutive, only meeting each other as they pass through the door. Micro-eras won't do if the club wants to seriously challenge for the top honours. From the supporters' point of view, it would be a crying shame if the only games both Coutinho and Salah played together were pre-season friendlies.
Perhaps the very biggest fear is that the loss of players of the ability and magic of Coutinho would sew little seeds of doubt into the manager's mind. That losing the Brazilian gem just before the peak years of his careers would erode at Klopp's enthusiasm and hope to build Liverpool into something lasting and great. Is £100m+ worth that risk?Top-flight footballers and F1 driver caught up in prostitution scandal
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