Report: Bayern Munich will not sign Philippe Coutinho unless his performances improve

According to a new mega-article by Bild, Bayern Munich have still not made a concrete decision on whether to buy Philippe Coutinho. However, the Barcelona loanee will apparently need to improve his on-pitches performances if he wants to stay at the Bavarian capital, as his rumored €120m signing clause is currently hard to justify.

Assessing the performances

As of right now, Coutinho has managed 7 goals and 7 assists in all competitions for Bayern in the first half of the season, with an average of 0.88 goals contributions (i.e. goals + assists) per 90 minutes. Those are actually pretty good numbers, but they’re misleading.

6 goals and 5 assists came in blowout wins over the bottom four teams in the Bundesliga — Koln (15th), Fortuna (16th), Bremen (17th), and Paderborn (18th). His performances against better teams have left a lot to be desired, with the Brazilian failing to register a single goal or assist against the top half of the Bundesliga.

What comes next?

Given the sheer expense associated with signing Coutinho, it was always going to be unlikely for Bayern Munich to pull the trigger him. For 120m euros, you want a certified game-changer, which is something the Brazilian has not yet managed to do.

Coutinho only came to Germany because Bayern needed a new big transfer following the collapse of the Sane deal. With Barcelona firing Ernesto Valverde and hiring a less-pragmatic coach Quique Setien, it’s likely that the Brazilian will return to Spain and try his luck with the Catalan giants once again.

Bayern, meanwhile, will likely turn their attention to an up-and-coming player like Kai Havertz, or simply just continue with Thomas Muller at the attacking midfield position. Just like with James Rodriguez, a quiet end to the loan will probably be the preferred solution for all parties involved.