Phillipe Coutinho got his surprise Aston Villa loan move off to a dream start with four goals and three assists in his first eight Premier League appearances, but the 29-year-old has struggled to make an impact of late.
Coutinho’s dip in form coincided with Villa’s five-game winless run and raised uncertainty over his long-term future at Villa Park, but Paul Robinson believes they’ll still turn the move permanent this summer.
He told Football Insider: “I still think he’ll want to sign Coutinho permanently. They have such a good relationship. I can see it happening.” The Brazilian international is without a goal or assist in his last six league outings and has been substituted off in his previous four.
While dips in form are common and usually nothing to worry about, especially for attacking players, Coutinho’s struggle at Barcelona might have some worried that history is repeating itself.
The 29-year-old had a good debut season in Spain, scoring seven goals with six assists from 18 La Liga games in 2017/18, but he contributed only eight goals from 34 league games in 2018/19 and six goals from his final 24 top-flight clashes.
Villa supporters will be hoping Coutinho finishes the season strongly to earn his permanent deal, as the Midlands outfit are willing to pay £33m for his signature.
In other news, Gabriel Agbonlahor says Morgan Sanson will leave due to lack of playing time
