With speculation refusing to go away over his future and as Unai Emery continues to mould the Aston Villa squad into his own, is a Philippe Coutinho exit the best possible outcome?
The 31-year-old was an instant hit after initially arriving on loan from Barcelona, playing a key role under Steven Gerrard and building genuine hope that we could see him return to a high level in a Villa shirt.
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After making his move permanent last summer though, the Brazilian international struggled last season with injuries and form, contributing just one goal and no assists in 22 appearances across all competitions.
His fitness issues in the latter stages of the campaign were a real blow, as it denied him and Emery an opportunity to see how he could fit into the side both in terms of the system and style of play over a consistent run of games.
While Coutinho featured in pre-season, it arguably wasn’t enough to entirely answer the question as to whether or not he still has an important role to play for us, and his future is again a talking point amid more reports over this future this weekend.
As per Fabrizio Romano, interest is building in Coutinho from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and it is expected to peak in the closing stages of the summer transfer window. He leaves the door open for a departure if the right proposal arrives, so will the Brazilian playmaker be moving on this month?
On one hand, there is still a belief – albeit more one of hope at this stage – that Coutinho can still come good and play an important role for us. With his technical ability, creativity and experience, he could be a valuable option to have with Villa looking to compete on multiple fronts this season, including in Europe.
If he can get a consistent run in the side, perhaps we’ll see his influence grow and he can still be important for us.
Conversely, was last season enough of an opportunity and has he already come up short? Reliability in terms of his availability continues to be a concern, but he is continuously falling down the pecking order too.
While Emiliano Buendia’s injury may have opened a door for him, we saw Emery opt for Leon Bailey again at Newcastle Utd, and the arrivals of Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo are certainly not going to make it any easier for Coutinho to carve out a spot in the starting line-up.
With the potential of a significant offer from Qatar or Saudi Arabia, that could also be too difficult to turn down. Not only would it help balance our books and trim the wage bill, but it could arm Director of Football Operations, Monchi, and Emery with additional funds to continue to strengthen and mould the squad into their own.
There is still a strong contingent of Villa fans who want to see Coutinho stay, and that’s understandable. However, do the reasons for moving him on outlined above outweigh the arguments in favour of him staying?
Should Villa keep or sell Coutinho this month?