Barcelona player Phillipe Coutinho makes Premier League return through the doors of Steven Gerrards’ Aston Villa via a loan deal. The Brazilian has not produced what was expected from him in Barcelona and he does not seem like the first choice in midfield for manager Xavi Hernandez. Will Coutinho be the right man for Gerrard’s plans?
Official, confirmed. Philippe Coutinho joins Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona. Deal signed. ⭐️🇧🇷 #AVFC
“The agreement also includes an option to buy and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours”, statement confirms. 🤝
Steven Gerrard, key factor.
Here we go. pic.twitter.com/gocdxkHXd5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 7, 2022
Philipe Coutinho Makes Premier League Return
Aston Villas’ Lack Of Creativity This Season
It is clear that Aston Villa has lost a lot of quality in both midfield and attack after selling star player Jack Grealish to Manchester City this summer. The departure of Grealish left a huge gap in the creativity part in Villa which made them stay in the Premier League in the last two seasons. Not only that, he was also their star player for the last four seasons, and the money he was sold for to Manchester City (100 million pounds) shows the quality he has.
Aston Villa have not used the money well so far. They signed Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia and Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey. However, they have not yet produced what’s expected from them since they were considered the main men in their previous teams. Villa have recorded worse results and performances compared to their last season campaign. Their manager Dean Smith was sacked this season and replaced by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard who has improved the team in the last few games. Surely now he is looking forward to this winter transfer window to add some more quality to the team, and Coutinho is surely an interesting choice.
Why Coutinho?
As mentioned, Grealish’s departure has left a huge gap in creativity in the team. Coutinho’s play style is quite similar to him. He can play both in the left wing and as a play maker which was similar to the position Grealish played in. No two can argue over the talent and creativity Coutinho has, and that he will be a great signing for Aston Villa.
In addition, Coutinho knows the Premier League quite well since he spent most of his footballing career at Liverpool. He was considered to be their main man until his departure on January 2018 to Barcelona. Furthermore, he has had several experiences in the big competitions during his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munchen while he was at loan at the German club. He managed to win the Treble with Bayern Munchen back in 2020 alongside two League titles, a Super Cup and the Spanish cup with Barcelona. He has played in all those competitions therefore the experience he has at this age will certainly be helpful for Aston Villa.
Can Coutinho Current Form Be A Concern?
It is true that Coutinho with Barcelona has not produced the best of performances, but it was due to factors which affected his play style. No manager at Barcelona was able to put Coutinho in the correct position and give him the correct instructions. This made him be in the face of criticism from both the fans and the media. However, class is permanent while form is only temporarily. Coutinho would certainly be able to find his form if Gerrard can find the right spot for him in the pitch. Gerrard played with Coutinho back at Liverpool , therefore this could be an advantage for Coutinho to retrieve his form.
Main Image Credit Embed from Getty Images
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