Aston Villa are reportedly close to seeing Philippe Coutinho leave the club as he is on the verge of joining Vasco de Gama on loan.
The 32-year-old spent last season on loan at Al-Duhail, and it had been hoped that he would be able to find a permanent solution this summer given it looks highly unlikely that he has a place in Unai Emery’s plans moving forward.
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However, according to The Telegraph’s John Percy, Coutinho is very close to rejoining his former club Vasco on a season-long loan deal, and so it remains to be seen if an official announcement arrives imminently.
After initially joining us on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, the Brazilian playmaker made a positive impression in the second half of that campaign which in turn earned him a permanent switch that summer.
Unfortunately, injuries, fitness issues, competition for places and the departure of former boss Steven Gerrard all contributed to Coutinho playing a more limited role, and although Emery gave him opportunities to stake his claim for a spot in his side, it didn’t work out and the decision was made to ship him out on loan.
It had been hoped that Villa would be able to agree a permanent transfer this summer and find Coutinho a new club, while previous reports had suggested that the two parties could agree on a termination of his contract.
However, based on the report above from the reliable Percy, it looks as though it will be another temporary fix, and the hope is that Vasco are taking on Coutinho’s significant wages at least to make the deal make sense for us.
Villa’s transfer strategy has clearly changed since the arrival of Emery and Monchi, and particularly so far this summer, we’ve seen the club sign players in their early 20s with a long-term plan in mind as we lower the average age of the group and the wage bill.
Coutinho may well go down as the last poor decision we make for some time given his age, cost and lack of impact over a consistent period, and it’s hoped that if he does indeed seal a loan move to Vasco this month, it will eventually lead to the Brazilian outfit looking to bring him back permanently next summer.
