It's finally happened - Philippe Coutinho has joined Barcelona from Liverpool for £142 million.Having been denied a move last summer by Jurgen Klopp, Coutinho put his head down and produced some of his best ever performances for the Reds this season.In 14 Premier League games, the Brazil international scored seven goals and provided a further six assists for the club.Even in the Champions League he was in tip top form, recording four goals and one assist in five appearances to help Liverpool smash their group.But he never lost sight of joining Barcelona in January, which club legend Robbie Fowler feels was always going to happen."Why allow a top player like Philippe Coutinho to leave?" Fowler wrote for the Mirror. "As much as he is a great player - and Liverpool have had many down the years - they do come and go.
"No one is bigger than the club. The club will still be there the next day. The fans will still be there.
"But also, supporters are not stupid. They can see when a player doesn't want to stay. It doesn’' stop them supporting the club when he does eventually leave.
"It's happened for years and years and will continue to happen. More often than not players have their way because football is more and more weighted towards them.
"But, to be fair to Liverpool, they resisted over Coutinho in the summer. If a player really wants to leave, eight times out of 10 he will."
Fowler knew what was coming and perhaps we all should have seen Coutinho leaving eventually judging by his tweet when he joined Liverpool in January 2013.
Here's what the 25-year-old said upon completing an £8.5 million move from Inter Milan five years ago.
COUTINHO'S TWEET
Coutinho wrote: "Liverpool is a great club with great players. I'm feeling very happy. It's a very important step in my career."
Football fans have pointed out that Coutinho described joining Liverpool as a "step" in his career, which no one took notice of at the time.
But now it seems relevant, because perhaps the attacking midfielder always saw Liverpool as a stepping stone towards playing for someone like Barcelona.