Liverpool were close to signing an unexpected player before turning to Philippe Coutinho — a decision that ended up shaping the club’s future.
In January 2013, Liverpool signed Coutinho from Inter Milan for just £8.5 million. The Brazilian quickly became a key player at Anfield, spending five successful seasons with the club before completing a record-breaking £146 million move to Barcelona — making him, at the time, the second most expensive player in football history.
The funds from that sale played a crucial role in Liverpool’s rebuild, helping them secure game-changing signings like Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk — two players who would later be instrumental in their Champions League and Premier League victories.
However, as revealed by former Liverpool analyst Ian Graham in his book How to Win the Premier League, Coutinho wasn’t originally the club’s top target. Liverpool had actually been pursuing Tom Ince, a former academy graduate who had left for Blackpool in 2011 after rejecting a new contract.
Ince went on to impress at Blackpool, scoring 33 goals and assisting 30 times in 113 appearances. During the 2012/13 season, Liverpool made an attempt to bring him back, but the deal fell through. Ince also turned down a move to Inter Milan, opting to continue his career in England instead.
He later joined Crystal Palace on loan but failed to make a lasting impression, and his career saw him move through several clubs including Hull City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Stoke City, and Reading.
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