It's a good job the Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona transfer saga is over and done with in the first week of January - nobody could have taken another month of reports!

Barcelona finally got their man after six months of courting and Liverpool have netted £145 million for their troubles - a significant amount against the £8.5 million they spent to get him from Inter Milan.

The Reds may now look to get pending summer signing Naby Keita six months earlier or reinvest in Riyad Mahrez, according to reports, but either way, club legend Jamie Carragher has urged them to spend their cash more wisely than they did when they sold Luis Suarez to the same club.

Many have questioned the timing of the deal, especially given that Liverpool are still in the Champions League and inside the top four in the Premier League.

It doesn't make much sense for Barcelona either. The Catalan side are nine points clear at the top of La Liga and Coutinho is cup-tied in the Champions League, so they will not be able to use the Brazilian playmaker in Europe.

It seems that despite those factors, Coutinho was willing to sit on the sidelines while Barca go in search of European glory to make sure a deal could be done.

However, a call from old Liverpool teammate and compatriot Lucas Leiva may have made him feel better.

"Missing the Champions League means you will be fresh for the World Cup, my friend," Lucas is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail on a FaceTime conversation.

"It's not ideal, but you have to look at things positively."

Always look on the bright side, eh Lucas?

Another former Liverpool teammate of Coutinho's is Luis Suarez, a man who is now going to be fortunate enough to line up alongside the 25-year-old again. The striker is obviously delighted at the reunion.

"As a former team-mate, as a friend, I'm very happy for him," Suarez is quoted by Marca.

"I think he's going to contribute a lot to the team. Everyone knows the quality that he has; he's been in the elite group of players for many years."