Liverpool secure their next Coutinho in Erik Farkas

Philippe Coutinho’s name still hangs in the Anfield air like the echo of an old song. The Brazilian left in acrimony, yes, but with time comes perspective. His departure funded Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker. Two signings that transformed Liverpool from hopefuls into serial contenders. Barcelona paid the price; Liverpool reaped the rewards.

Strip away the emotion and one thing remains: Coutinho was a rare talent. He owned that no.10 pocket. Gliding past defenders, slipping passes through gaps that barely existed, shaping games with a blend of vision and technique that made him feel inevitable when he picked up the ball 25 yards from goal.

Liverpool have been chasing that feeling ever since.

Wirtz yet to fill the Coutinho void

When Liverpool pushed hard for Florian Wirtz, it felt like the club had finally found the natural heir. A young German playmaker who had ripped up the Bundesliga, Wirtz arrived with the aura of a player ready to light up Anfield.

But the Premier League has not bent to his reputation. Not yet.

Where Coutinho settled quickly, Wirtz has looked like a player still searching for his rhythm. A half-second off the pace. A touch more hesitant in tight spaces. The daring, decisive talent that terrorised defences in Germany has only appeared in flashes in England.

Unlocking him has become one of the great tactical puzzles of Andoni Iraola’s early reign. Get Wirtz firing, and Liverpool’s attack suddenly looks complete. Fail, and that Coutinho-shaped hole in the squad lingers on.

Behind the scenes, though, the club have been working on a different kind of answer.

Erik Farkas: the academy magician

Liverpool went into the summer with two academy priorities circled in red: Joshua Abe and Erik Farkas. Both teenagers attracted serious interest from clubs at home and abroad. Both were seen as players who could slip through the net if the club hesitated.

Liverpool didn’t.

Abe agreed his professional terms earlier in the summer. On Friday, the club confirmed they had reached an agreement with Farkas on a professional deal as well. For the academy staff, it’s a significant win. For the first team’s future, it could be something more.

Farkas is the one who turns heads. The one coaches and teammates talk about in that slightly different tone. The one who, inside the club, already carries the “Coutinho” comparison.

Not because of the shirt number or the highlight reels, but because of how he sees the game.

Farkas has that same knack for unpicking a defence with one pass. His football IQ stands out; he scans early, spots angles others miss, and has the technique to make those ideas real. Those trademark through balls with the outside of his foot? He’s already got them in his locker.

He doesn’t just play between the lines. He lives there.

Watch him at youth level and you see why Liverpool pushed so hard to get his signature on a long-term deal. He drifts into pockets, turns in a heartbeat, and suddenly a back four that looked secure is scrambling. There’s craft, disguise, and a touch of audacity in almost everything he does.

For a club still searching for the next Coutinho on the big stage, the answer might be growing at Kirkby.

A different kind of solution

None of this solves Iraola’s Wirtz dilemma in the here and now. The German remains the big-money signing who has to click if Liverpool are to maximise this cycle. His adaptation will shape the Spaniard’s time at Anfield.

But Liverpool’s decision to lock in Farkas – alongside Abe – hints at a broader plan. The club are not just scouring Europe for the next great creator. They are trying to build him.

Coutinho arrived as a rough gem and blossomed into a superstar. If Farkas can turn that same raw flair into consistent top-level impact, Liverpool may not need to look far for their next magician. The contract is signed. The path is there.

Now the question is simple: how long before Anfield gets to see it under the lights?