Philippe Coutinho was a surprise signing for Aston Villa in the January transfer window and has been outstanding upon his return to the Premier League. The 29-year-old has scored two goals with two assists in his first three appearances and has the option to sign permanently for the Villans at the end of the season.
Coutinho fell down the pecking order at Barcelona and has no future at the Camp Nou, so Villa signed him on loan until the end of the campaign. The decision couldn’t have gone any better so far as the Brazilian international is getting back to his best and silencing his critics in the process.
Paddy Kenny has enjoyed seeing Coutinho back in England and says he’s been ‘frightening’ so far. The 43-year-old also believes Villa made the best signing of the transfer window and hailed Steven Gerrard for using his connections to get the deal over the line.
He told Football Insider: “What an impact he has had. He scored in his first game as well didn’t he? What a signing. The Gerrard effect is clear. Getting Gerrard in has been massive for the club. He’s obviously used his connections to get Coutinho in.
“For me, him and Kieran Trippier have been the two best signings of January and they have both come from the Spanish league. A goal and two assists against Leeds is frightening. I think I heard Gerrard saying he’s not fully fit yet so there is even more to come.”
Barcelona signed Coutinho from Liverpool for £146m in 2018, but he failed to live up to expectations. The 28-year-old scored 25 goals and made 14 assists in 106 games but barely played in his final two seasons (eight La Liga starts in 2020/21 and five La Liga starts in 2021/22.)
Coutinho looks a different player at Villa, however, so the Midlands club could be triggering the buying option this summer.
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