Mauricio Pochettino: 'I know why Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona'

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that he can understand why Philippe Coutinho wanted to leave Liverpool to join Barcelona.

  "I know Philippe from when we brought him [on loan] from Inter [Milan] to Espanyol [in 2012]. I coached him for six months when he was 17," the Tottenham boss told Onda Cero radio station. "We know that Barcelona for Brazilians is a special city. Obviously, for Philippe, after five years in Liverpool, where it's very cold and it rains a lot, and when you have your wife and children, it's difficult for a Brazilian to turn down a chance like this one. "Also, he is joining one of the best clubs in world and the excitement of playing with [Lionel] Messi must also be a factor."