According to a recent report by France Football, Newcastle United have already begun negotiations over a move for Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho in this off-season. The same source has also revealed the Magpies’ pursuit of the Brazilian midfielder could hinge on the potential takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) spearheaded by Prince Mohamed Ben-Salman. However, it is believed that the Tyneside giants could face stiff competition from Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the race to secure Coutinho’s signature this summer (via France Football).
Coutinho’s Struggles To Be Consistent At The Allianz Arena This Season
The ex-Liverpool maestro has experienced a campaign of mixed emotions during his loan spell at Bayern Munich so far. He has often struggled to perform at a high level under Hans-Dieter Flick’s tutelage at Bavaria this season after failing to produce a run of consistent performances for the Munich outfit over the past ten months.
Despite his poor form, Coutinho deserves credit for finding the back of the net nine times while providing eight assists in 32 matches for the Bundesliga leaders this term in multiple competitions. His stats highlight his knack for scoring and creating goals for Bayern in the opposition half. However, he is still nowhere near the level he once displayed at Liverpool.
The Brazilian sensation has averaged 2.6 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes of league football so far. Coutinho has performed slightly better in Europe where he has averaged 3.9 shots, 1.7 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in the seven UEFA Champions League matches he has been a part of this season (stats via whoscored).
The Barca midfield ace has also earned 61 senior caps for the Brazilian national team, netting 17 goals for his homeland in the process. Brazil boss Tite will hope that Coutinho can find some consistency in terms of his all-round performances next season so that he is in a good run of form ahead of the 2021 Copa America following the competition’s postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Will The Brazil International Bring To St. James’ Park?
Coutinho is a technically gifted footballer who has established himself as one of the most dangerous dribblers with the ball in Europe over the past few years. He possesses outstanding close control, composure and trickery to deceive the opposition players in the final third. The Rio de Janeiro-born talent has a low centre of gravity that enables him to make intelligent turns in and around the opposition penalty area and is quite efficient at setting up his teammates up top. He is a dead-ball specialist as he can score a lot of eye-catching goals from direct free-kicks in the attacking third.
Acquiring the services of a playmaker of Coutinho’s calibre and technical prowess will undoubtedly be a massive coup for the Magpies this summer. He will not only bring a lot of goals and creativity to St. James’ Park but also improve the overall quality of Steve Bruce’s first-team. What makes Coutinho a dream signing for Newcastle is his ability to turn a match on its head by himself.
Frankly, Bruce doesn’t have a player in his squad who is anywhere near the level of the Brazilian, so the Magpies boss could choose to build his team around Coutinho if the takeover by the Saudi Arabia-based group gets done before the start of the new campaign. He will be a significant upgrade over any of Newcastle’s current midfield options at the northeast of England.
Coutinho has all the attributes required to be the main man for Bruce’s team and could help them compete for some major trophies in the coming seasons. He will also be guaranteed regular game time in the Premier League if he chooses to make a summer switch to Tyneside.
