Philippe Coutinho returns to England a few years after making the big move to Camp Nou.
Aston Villa confirms upcoming deal
Aston Villa has agreed to sign the Brazilian footballer on loan from Barcelona with an option to buy the former Liverpool playmaker as Philippe prepares to reunite with old teammate Steven Gerrard. Philippe Coutinho will see the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign in Villa Park as he seeks to rediscover the professional spark that was lost in Catalonia. Previously, Coutinho filmed the Premier League stage for five years at Anfield, and will hope to take back what he left behind after agreeing to work under Steven rather than play with him.
Aston Villa confirmed the pending deal in a statement that said FC Barcelona and Aston Villa had agreed on terms for Philippe to host the remainder of this season on a Villa Park lease. The agreement, subject to the player’s medical clearance and work permit, also includes a buy option, and Coutinho will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.
A little about Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian playmaker first arrived in England back in the winter 2013 window, when Liverpool lured him away from Inter’s Serie A giants. Philippe Coutinho quickly settled on Merseyside and became a key creative bang for Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers. The glory of the Premier League title in its first full campaign was excruciatingly out of reach, and the top silverware proved elusive compared to Liverpool.
Philippe took in 201 appearances for the Reds and recorded 54 goals, while also proving to be a useful source of assists. These efforts have earned many adorable looks from afar, with the opportunity to complete the dream of switching to Barcelona by introducing themselves in January 2018. The £ 146m move was sanctioned, but Philippe struggled to maintain his high standards alongside Co and Messi at the Camp Nou.
Bavaria spent the 2019-20 season on loan in the Bundesliga giants, but inconsistency followed the South American from Spain to Germany. Niggling’s injuries also proved to be an issue, as Barça signaled during the 2021 summer window that they are ready to cut their losses and move Philippe. Various drop-off points have since been spoken for for him, with reports that six Premier League teams have expressed interest this time around, but he hopes the once-successful partnership with Steven Gerrard will bring an upswing in the state again.