Aston Villa finally confirmed the signing of Philippe Coutinho on a season-long loan after waiting for the 29-year-old to travel to Bodymoor Heath – Villa agreed a deal with Barcelona days ago but had to wait until Coutinho completed a medical and picked up a work permit.
Now the Brazilian international is a Villa player for the remainder of the campaign and supporters on social media are understandably excited. The 29-year-old continues to called up for Brazil and was playing for Barca back in December, so this is a watershed moment.
Coutinho joined the Catalan giants on a five-and-a-half-year deal from Liverpool in January 2018 and has gone on to make 106 appearances in all competitions, scoring 25 goals with 14 assists.
Coutinho has struggled with inconsistency at the Camp Nou, hence why he’s being granted a departure, but Steven Gerrard may feel he can turn his career around as a former Liverpool teammate. The 29-year-old could be a belated replacement for Jack Grealish while pushing Emiliano Buendia too.
Villa have the option to buy Coutinho permanently should he impress this season, so this is a big statement of intent.
In other news, fans on social media say ‘brilliant’ Emiliano Buendia is a ‘fantastic’ forward
