Their next Coutinho: Liverpool could sign a "future Ballon d'Or winner"

Liverpool's return to Champions League action was a success on Tuesday night as they battled hard to seal a 2-1 win over Ligue 1 side Lille at Anfield.

The Reds needed a second-half strike from youngster Harvey Elliott to secure all three points in the European clash, after Jonathan David's goal cancelled out Mo Salah's opener.

Arne Slot's men have now won all seven of their matches in the league phase so far, and have already qualified for the next stage of the competition, with one game still to play.

It was just Elliott's second goal of the season in all competitions, the other coming against Southampton in the League Cup, in what has been a frustrating campaign for the 21-year-old.

The England U21 international has yet to start a match in the Premier League, coming off the bench just eight times so far, as he has struggled to make himself a regular under Slot.

Liverpool's manager has preferred the most industrious, yet still technically excellent, options at his disposal, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Ryan Gravenberch.

Slot does not have a first-team star, who is ready to play week-in-week-out, with the midfield wizardry that former Reds star Philippe Coutinho provided.

Philippe Coutinho's Liverpool career

Like Elliott, the Brazil international was a diminutive attacking midfielder who wanted to make an impact at the top end of the pitch with dribbles, shots, and key passes.

During his time on Merseyside, Coutinho racked up a return of 54 goals and 43 assists in 201 appearances for the club in all competitions, which shows that he offered quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

Not only was the former Inter wizard's output in the final third impressive, but the midfield dynamo was also a pleasure to watch and a player who had the quality to score goals out of nothing.

Coutinho was a mercurial talent who could cut onto his right foot to score unbelievable goals at his best, with his terrific ball-striking ability and creativity from range and from inside the box, as you can see in the clips below.

The Brazilian sensation's form over the years eventually caught the eye of Spanish giants Barcelona, who swooped in to sign the midfielder for a reported fee of £142m in January 2018.

That represented a huge profit on the £8.5m that the club had spent to sign him from Inter, which made that initial fee they paid the Italian team look like a bargain in hindsight.

Liverpool could, now, strike a similar deal to land their next version of Coutinho by signing one of their reported targets in the January transfer window.

Liverpool's interest in Ligue 1 talent

It was recently reported that Liverpool are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a potential swoop to sign Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki before February's deadline.

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The Reds are said to have stepped up their interest in the France U21 international and are willing to pay the £19m fee that the Ligue 1 side are demanding for the 21-year-old magician.

It has been claimed that Lyon's financial position has forced them to consider cashing in on Cherki this month, and a fee of £19m would be enough to secure the young star's services before the end of the January transfer window.

The Premier League leaders are not the only interested party, however, as Turkish giants Fenerbahce are reportedly in talks to sign the midfield sensation, whilst Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Bayern Munich have also been linked with the French ace.

This means that there could be plenty of competition for his signature and that it will not be an easy deal for Liverpool to get over the line, as they could need to beat these clubs in a race for his services.

Slot should, though, push for the board to wrap up a transfer for Cherki before the end of the January transfer window because he could provide a spark in the middle of the park, akin to the one Coutinho provided during his time at Anfield.

Why Rayan Cherki could be Philippe Coutinho 2.0

Like the Brazilian, Liverpool could sign the Lyon attacking midfielder for a reasonable fee, as £19m is hardly breaking the bank for a potentially exciting addition to the squad, and it leaves room for the club to possibly make a profit on him in the future.

Cherki is also a mercurial attacking midfielder, like Coutinho, who has immense technical quality and the ability to score impressive goals, due to his ball-striking skills, which were on full display in training for France in the clip below.

The 21-year-old dynamo, who StatsBomb founder Ted Knutson described as a "masterful dribbler", has already racked up 22 goals and 33 assists in 163 matches in all competitions for Lyon to date, despite his age.

Given that he made his debut in the 2019/20 campaign, it is easy to forget that Cherki is still an incredibly young player with plenty of time left to develop and improve. In fact, The Athletic's Alex Barker went as far as to say that he is a "future Ballon D'or winner" in 2023, and there are still many years left for that to come true.

Whilst he is not at Ballon D'or level yet, the French playmaker's form for Lyon, domestically and in Europe, has been very impressive in the 2024/25 campaign.

Rayan Cherki (24/25) Ligue 1 Europa League Appearances (starts) 14 (9) 6 (5) Goals 3 2 Big chances created 8 8 Key passes per game 2.3 3.7 Assists 3 4 Dribbles completed per game 2.2 3.0 Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Cherki has produced five goals and 16 'big chances' created in 14 starts in Ligue 1 and the Europa League combined, which speaks to his ability to make things happen in the final third on a regular basis.

Like Coutinho, the £19m-rated wizard has the quality to dribble past opponents consistently whilst also influencing games with goals, key passes, and assists, which is why he can be a joy for supporters to watch.

Therefore, Slot could land Liverpool's next version of the Brazilian genius by signing Cherki to come in and showcase his magic week-in-week-out at Anfield.

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