Philippe Coutinho is back at Liverpool and it isn't Florian Wirtz

Philippe Coutinho is back at Liverpool and it isn't Florian Wirtz It goes without saying that, even though Philippe Coutinho wasn't at Liverpool for as long as many would have wanted him to be, he was one of the best things that happened to the club. When he joined the Reds, he brought a whole extra level of creativity to the first-team squad and, with Luis Suarez just ahead of him, it was a recipe for excellence. During the Brazilian's time as a Liverpool player, he contributed to 98 goals across all competitions and, although he played in several positions, he quickly cemented himself as one of the Premier League's best left-wingers. No matter who he was up against, he always managed to get the better of them which is why Barcelona ended up spending a grand total of £142 million on him. These days, that fee would equate to around £193 million which would blow all of the Premier League's highest-ever sales out of the water. However, since his exit, Liverpool have been trying their best to find Coutinho's successor and now, all these years later, they may have finally found him. Cody Gakpo is Liverpool's new Philippe Coutinho If you'd have said to Liverpool's fanbase last season that Cody Gakpo was going to be their best player this term, they'd have laughed you out of the room. However, after their first three Premier League games, there's a real case for it. In the three games he's featured in, the Dutchman has scored one goal and has given his teammates three assists. Indeed, he has had to be used on the right thanks to the Reds' lack of planning to replace Mohamed Salah but, even when used out of position, he was on fire. Obviously, the physical similarities between Gakpo and Coutinho aren't really there but, in terms of performance and the situation that they both found themselves in, it does feel like they're fairly similar. Before Coutinho was allowed to join Barcelona, the Reds blocked him from getting his move which most people thought would ruin his commitment and performance levels. However, that was far from the case as, much like Gakpo , he's found another level to his performances. Of course, a lot of this is probably to do with Iraola being in charge instead of Arne Slot but, if Gakpo's ability to pass and shoot hadn't been re-found, nothing would have panned out as it has done this term. Both Manchester City and Tottenham wanted to acquire the Dutchman's services but, since the Reds couldn't source a replacement for him, he ended up staying put. This obviously feels eerily similar to Coutinho's situation and, if Liverpool keep Gakpo for the rest of the season and he stays in this run of form, they could be well on their way to adding some more silverware to their trophy cabinets. Florian Wirtz will have to watch out for Cody Gakpo this season If you looked at the profiles of Liverpool's players, you'd expect Florian Wirtz to be seen as their next Coutinho. Each player can be used as a number 10 or a left winger and both of them joined Liverpool close to the start of their careers. Indeed, Wirtz didn't have as strong of an impact as Coutinho did in his debut season but, with a new manager and even better players now around him, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the German come out of his shell a bit more this term. Of course, with how strong the Reds' attack is, every single players' position in the starting XI is on the line. So, especially when Hugo Ekitike returns from injury, the competition for places is going to be rife. Gakpo and Wirtz feel like the two most likely players to be dropped now that Bradley Barcola has joined so, as the season goes on, each player will have to out-do the other to get into Iraola's good books. Of course, having plenty of depth in attack is going to be massive later in the season, especially if the Reds end up getting into the latter stages of the Champions League but, since both Wirtz and Gakpo will want to play every game possible, there could be plenty of competition afoot.