Having confirmed Philippe Coutinho’s departure on loan this week, it perhaps isn’t the ideal outcome for Aston Villa, but it’s the right decision for all concerned for now.
The 32-year-old was an instant hit after his arrival on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, as he made an immediate impact on the pitch and was undoubtedly a big influence in terms of making Villa a bigger presence and attraction.
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With that in mind, the decision to sign him had its merits, and ultimately having opted to secure him on a permanent basis the following summer, it looked as though it could be a savvy move from the club.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian playmaker wasn’t able to build off that, as injuries became an issue again, as did a loss of form and competition for places, and although Unai Emery gave him opportunities after he replaced Steven Gerrard, it became clear that Coutinho wouldn’t have a place in his long-term plans.
A loan stint with Al-Duhail last season was the biggest indication yet that his time at Villa was coming to an end, and although it was hoped that we would find a permanent solution this summer, the club have confirmed that Coutinho has re-joined Vasco da Gama on loan for the upcoming campaign.
Ideally, terms of the agreement ensure that Vasco pay most, if not all, of Coutinho’s wages, as given he’s one of the highest earners at the club, it must surely be a headache for our recruitment team to have to take his salary into consideration when weighing up our numbers for PSR and the more general picture.
The hope now is that Coutinho shines back in Brazil and earns himself a permanent move, as with his current Villa contract still running until June 2026, there’s still time to get some sort of fee back for him if possible.
With six goals and three assists in 43 appearances in a Villa shirt, we’ll likely remember the buzz around signing Coutinho and his early impact rather than what followed, and in fairness, that period was a lot of fun.
Emery has moved in a different direction since and has exciting attacking talent at his disposal with the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby set to play key roles and implement his preferred style of play.
So, although there is disappointment and frustration that things didn’t work out for Coutinho and he’s become somewhat of an expensive mistake, his arrival was a big moment and it will hopefully end up being seen as a key step in getting us to where we are, and where we want to be in the future both as a learning curve in not repeating the same mistake and a stepping stone to better things.