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

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

The Brazilian completed a transfer thought to be worth in the region of £142m last week.

Liverpool managed to hold off the Catalan giants by rejecting three bids in the summer, but they reluctantly allowed Coutinho to leave mid-season after feeling pressure from the player and his camp.

Pochettino, who worked with the playmaker for a period of time at Espanyol, thinks that he knows why the 25-year-old pushed for a move to the La Liga outfit.

"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."

Pochettino has been in England for almost five years having had a spell at Southampton and now Tottenham.