Barcelona's Coach Ernesto Valverde Talks about Coutinho and Dembele

Brazilian player Philippe Coutinho, who is being pursued by Barcelona according to the press, "is a good player... from another team," said the Azulgrana coach Ernesto Valverde on Wednesday, claiming not to know if his club will finally sign the Liverpool striker.

Asked about the possible arrival of Coutinho in the pre-match press conference for the Copa del Rey game against Celta, Valverde stated: "I don't know, I find out about many things that happen here, things I didn't know, if they are true, I don't know. But well, Coutinho is a player from another team; he is certainly a good player and we don't know what will happen in the future."

And he added, when asked again about the possible signing of the Brazilian: "I have nothing to say about Coutinho, he is not our player, he is in another team and we respect the fact that he is in this other club."

Finally, Valverde also referred to the imminent return of French player Ousmane Dembele to the field after recovering from the injury that has kept him from playing since September.

"He has to start again with the adaptation and we think he can be an important player. We count on him, little by little he will start to integrate into the team, but he has to adapt and take it easy."

Source: AFP