Aston Villa:
£17m flop was better than Grealish when he arrived, now he ‘doesn’t exist’
Aston Villa have seen plenty of talent come and go at Villa Park over the years, including one star who created huge excitement upon his arrival.
Aston Villa’s sale of Jack Grealish in 2021 subtly marked the start of something special at Villa Park, as the £100m profit guaranteed for the academy graduate cleared the Villans’ expected financial worries.
Without the sale of the England player, current boss Unai Emery is said to not have the resources to strengthen his squad this summer, thus strengthening the deal’s strength in relation to his success. Spanish player so far in the Midlands.
Over the years, Villa have made many changes to their squad, with players coming and going and big names arriving to join the project presented by the four-time Europa League winning coach.
Since taking over from Steven Gerrard in October 2022, the former Arsenal boss has had a significant impact on operations at Villa Park, but not every star in Gerrard’s squad has been chosen to be on the road aim for bigger things.
One player whose future is far from Emery’s plans is Philippe Coutinho, who played at a higher level than Grealish at Birmingham, but the excitement of his arrival was quickly frozen as reality set in.
Why did Aston Villa sign Philippe Coutinho?
In January 2022, Gerrard welcomed the Brazilian to the Midlands on an initial loan deal from Barcelona which included an option to buy as he struggled to establish himself in Catalonia .
Having made 152 Steven Gerrard ppearances for Liverpool, where he directly contributed to 78 goals – scoring 41 and providing 37 assists – it was an automatic incentive for Villa to secure his signature. Thanks to your experience. The Catalans handed the Red Devils a check worth £142m to buy his services in 2018, all for him to be brought under Gerrard’s management in England for just under four years. the following year.
Despite his struggles at Barcelona, the Brazilian was given a new lease of life at Villa Park by his former Liverpool team-mate, which he repaid by doing so during his loan spell. Sign a permanent contract.
In 19 Premier League appearances during his loan spell, the Champions League winner scored five goals and provided three assists, showing that he is loving football again, bringing joy and excitement. Enthusiastic for the people at Villa.
What was the reaction when Aston Villa signed Philippe Coutinho?
It was no surprise when in May 2022 it was announced that Villa would sign the former Liverpool genius on a permanent basis from the Catalan giants.
At the time of his permanent arrival, the enthusiasm with which the 29-year-old had settled at Villa Park was evident among the supporters, with Gerrard saying fan reaction had been “very positive”. extremely” after his successful loan period. Following Grealish’s departure, there is a void left by the £100m player, a void that appears to be filled by Coutinho, who has actually contributed more Premier League goals than the Englishman. during his first term at Man City.
Jack Grealish vs Philippe Coutinho in Premier League 2021/22
Having more impact in less than six months than the former Villa sensation had in an entire season at home made the reality of losing Grealish easier to swallow, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez unable to determine who was who. better player.
The Argentine told Ben Foster on Amazon Prime’s YouTube channel that the Brazilian was “unreal” compared to Grealish, implying that everyone at Villa was delighted with the permanent arrival of the Barcelona rat.
WhoScored even ranked the Brazilian’s signing for the Villans as the fourth best signing of the January transfer window, adding to the excitement about his future in the Midlands.
How much did Aston Villa pay for Philippe Coutinho?
Signed for just €20m (£17m), analyst Marcus Bring called Coutinho a “fantastic addition”, a view shared by many after a stellar audition period before he officially arrived. The talk of the deal was how the 29-year-old had to take a significant pay cut to make the move, recounting his desperation to escape his La Liga shackles.
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text=According to Capology, the 2021/22 campaign.
In the 2022/23 Premier League season, his first full spell in blue, the £17million player has scored once in 20 appearances, causing his overall game to decline as he failed to show your own shadow.
According to FBref, during his loan spell, Coutinho averaged 0.34 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes and 1.69 key passes per 90 minutes in the league, these numbers have dropped significantly this season. next prize.
In the 2022/23 season, the Brazilian is averaging just 0.11 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, with his key pass rate dropping to just 0.91 per 90 minutes, affecting His Premier League career was marred by poor form and injuries.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor described the midfielder as “non-existent”, explaining that he has a lot to prove after winning enough of Gerrard’s trust to sign a permanent deal with him.
Although he remains on Villa’s books today, the 31-year-old remains out of Emery’s plans, almost 4,000 miles away to be exact, as he tries to take up the challenge of a loan spell with Qatar from Premier League.
What is Philippe Coutinho doing now?
In September, it was announced that the playmaker had joined Qatari side Al Duhail on a season-long loan from Villa, a move that was somewhat of a must if he wanted to continue compete regularly.
Currently valued at just €5m (£4.3m) by CIES Football Observatory, the Brazilian has fallen out of favor since leaving Liverpool, and even more so since joining Villa early in his career. His continued to deplete. Despite the decline in value and form, Coutinho has started life well in Qatar, scoring on his Qatar Stars League debut.
The 31-year-old’s trajectory at Villa was one of filling the void left by Grealish, but in football sometimes things don’t work out, a story the former Inter Milan genius knows all too well.
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