Football London journalist, Sam Inkersole, has suggested Arsenal should sign Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho.

Despite Barcelona being heavily interested and Liverpool’s refusal to sell, Sam Inkersole of Football London reckons Arsenal should try and sign Philippe Coutinho in January.

That’s what he suggested in rather fanciful piece which details all the reasons why Coutinho would be a good signing for Arsenal, all the while ignoring how impossible the signing would be.

The reasoning for why Arsenal should target him isn’t too bad. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil might not be at the club after this season, and their departures would leave a significant hole in the attack.

Coutinho has been one of the Premier League’s most exciting attackers in recent seasons, although seven assists in 31 Premier League games last season doesn’t suggest he’s as creative as Inkersole believes he is.

For the sake of comparison, Ozil, who some thought under-performed last season, ended the campaign with 10 assists.

Yet, no matter how talented Coutinho is, it just doesn’t seem like a practical deal.

Liverpool were rejecting bids of over £100m from Barcelona in the summer. One can only imagine their reaction if Arsenal even bothered with a bid, given the history between the two clubs.

In my view, everything about the deal – the money that would be involved, the likelihood of Coutinho wanting to join Arsenal, and Liverpool reluctance to sell to a rival – puts this one firmly in the realm of fantasy.