When Liverpool announced the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan in January 2013 for £8.5 million, the resounding consensus, at the time, was that the move was a ‘gamble’ on the Reds’ behalf.

It sure turned out to be a rather fortunate one.

The samba star leaves Anfield after playing a total of 201 games for the club in all competitions, in which he scored 54 goals and produced 46 assists.

Fans have been left heavy-hearted by the transfer which sees the Brazilian become the second most expensive player of all time. During his five-year spell at Liverpool, Coutinho has conjured up some unforgettable moments and will be fondly remembered for his on-field performances.

“The magician”, as he became known as over time, often pulled the rabbit out of the hat for the Reds when the side were crying out for a spark of brilliance, though, his disappearing act to Barcelona was not the final trick up his sleeve that Liverpool fans would have been hoping for.

Here is a look at some of the highs and lows of Coutinho’s five-year Anfield tenure:

Highs:

Debut goal:  

Coutinho kick-started life in Liverpool in the best possible way; with a goal on his debut against Swansea City.

The stage was set for the 20-year-old to announce himself to the Premier League, and he did just that.

Plenty was made about Coutinho not being anywhere near the finished article when he arrived at L4, and so this was a massive high point for both the Brazilian and the club, as it allowed them both to remove weighted expectations early doors.

Just as he scored his first goal for the club in a 5-0 win over Swansea, his last arrived in similar circumstances, as he bagged in the Reds’  recent Boxing Day 5-0 thumping of the Swans, though, this time; it proved to be his farewell goal.

Man City masterpiece:  

With Liverpool’s 2013/14 title dreams hanging in the balance, Coutinho fired home a goal of paramount importance to send the Anfield crowd wild.

The Reds entertained Manchester City in April 2014, in a game that had the whole world watching.

Liverpool had stormed to a comfortable first-half 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel, however, City fought back in the second half to make it 2-2.

With just over ten minutes remaining in the contest, Coutinho single-handedly settled the affair.

Vincent Kompany sliced his attempted clearance straight into the path of the former Inter Milan midfielder, who accepted this gift with open arms to restore Liverpool’s advantage and raise the roof.

With four games to go, the Reds were now in the driving seat to secure the title, and this goal looked destined to be a decisive moment in Brendan Rodgers’ side’s action-packed  journey to reach the holy grail of English football.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be in the end, but this goal will forever be remembered nonetheless. A truly spine-tingling moment, a goal to cherish, a season to never forget.

Cheeky chip:  

Liverpool’s 2015/16 Europa League campaign was dramatic to say the least.

Ties against Borussia Dortmund, Villareal, and most memorably Manchester United were the obstacles overcome on a thrilling route to Basel.

And no victory was sweeter than the two-legged triumph over Man United.

Having won the first leg at Anfield 2-0, Klopp’s men travelled to Old Trafford knowing that they were in pole position to progress but also aware that it was not job done.

That was until Coutinho showed up.

On the stroke of half-time, the 25-year-old all but ended the contest with a goal of the highest calibre.

He surged down the left-hand flank past Guillermo Valera- who was left flat-footed by his tricky footwork- before entering the United penalty area and audaciously chipping the ball over the head of David de Gea. This put Liverpool 1-0 up on the night and 3-0 to the good on aggregate.

You could hear a pin drop in the home end, though, the same can’t be said for the away section, who were on cloud nine and beginning to rendition the trademark ‘Ole Ole Coutinho’ chant.

Louis van Gaal’s men pulled one back, but it ended 1-1. Liverpool progressed 3-1 victors over two legs, but this game will forever be remembered by that piece of brilliance.

Derby Delights:  

Coutinho bagged three goals in nine appearances against Merseyside neighbours Everton, to make him an even more loved figure on Merseyside.

His first came back in the 3-3 thriller at Goodison in 2013, which was followed by a driven effort in Liverpool’s 4-0 win in April 2014, and concluded in last season’s 3-1 victory.

The Brazilian failed to lose a single game to the Toffees during his time at Anfield and can look back fondly at his derby contributions.

Lows: 

West Ham woe:  

Coutinho’s first and only red card at the club came against West Ham in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Slaven Bilic’s side in August 2015.

His first booking was given for discipline reasons, which left him walking a tightrope for the remainder of the contest. He was then dealt a hammer blow after he recklessly fouled Dimitri Payet, to bring an end to his afternoon in the 52nd minute of play.

Goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho condemned the Reds to their first defeat at home to the London side since 1963.

This was a day to forget for Coutinho and the club itself.

Sevilla surrender & Spot-kick shame :  

Nine months of hard work had led up to this moment.  The Reds had reached the Europa League final.

Victories over Dortmund, United and Villarreal meant that Sevilla were the final side standing in Liverpool’s way of a first trophy since 2012 and the first of Klopp’s reign.

After a successful start, which saw the Reds enter half time 1-0 up courtesy of Daniel Sturridge, the tides turned significantly after the interval.

Unai Emery’s side bagged three second half goals to clinch the Europa League trophy and book their place in the Champions League for the following campaign.

Coutinho, a player who often produced moments of magic, could not weave his spell on Sevilla and was a bystander for the majority of proceedings. His performance was heavily scrutinised, with most Reds supporters describing it as ‘half-hearted’ and ‘ lethargic’.

The Brazilian failed to win a piece of silverware whilst at Liverpool, though, the opportunities were there to do so and this was a prime example of a failed opportunity.

Three months prior to this, Coutinho also missed his spot-kick in the Capital One Cup final against Manchester City, as Klopp’s men lost to the Sky Blues 3-1 on penalties.

Although he did score the goal to take the game to extra-time and penalties, Coutinho failed to deliver performances worthy of a £142 million player.

Transfer talk: 

As speculation soared in the summer linking Coutinho with a move to Barcelona, the Liverpool man coincidentally was ruled out with ‘back troubles’, which appeared rather timely to say the least; especially as he managed to play for the Brazilian national team during this period of pain.

He scored for Brazil and celebrated his goal, appearing reduced to tears; which most put down to disappointment over his failed move to the Blaugrana, as opposed to any sort of ‘injury’ that was causing suffering.

Similarly, this January there’s been a feeling of déjà vu, as Coutinho, again, became sidelined upon the opening of the transfer window.

He played against Leicester on the 30th December, but was out of the squad to face Burnley just two days later, this time apparently due to a ‘thigh injury’.

Barcelona have reported that he will be ruled out for 20 days because of this setback, but in both cases; things just don’t quite add up.

Coutinho departed for the Nou Camp with good intentions for his future but not on good terms with the fans who embraced him from the day he arrived on Merseyside.

Tom Cavilla.