Aston Villa Tipped To Land This Gifted Playmaker Permanently: Good Move For Everyone Involved?

In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, transfer insider Dean Jones tipped Aston Villa to land Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona permanently at the end of this campaign. Jones said,

“I don’t think it’s going to come down to wages at this point.  I think that he’s had the money in his career, now he needs to try and find a home and find a place that suits him.

“That’s what he’s looking for now, and that’s why there’s a very good chance that he does join Villa permanently.”

Coutinho’s Impressive Loan Spell In England

Coutinho is having a great loan spell at Villa Park after putting in a run of impressive performances for the Villans over the past few months. The Brazilian attacker has registered four goals and three assists in ten appearances for the West Midlands club this season in various competitions.

The ex-Liverpool talent has performed well to average 2.5 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He has even been accurate when distributing possession in the opponent’s half, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 83.2% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).

Aston Villa Tipped To Land Coutinho Permanently: Good Move For Everyone Involved?

Coutinho remains an excellent playmaker in the final third as he has got the eye to play a killer pass in and around the opponent’s penalty box. He can strike the ball with power and precision from long range and can chip in by scoring and creating his fair share of goals up top.

However, the Brazilian has been quite injury-prone over the past few years which makes it risky for Aston Villa to sign him permanently this summer. Still, the pros outweigh the cons of keeping Coutinho at Villa Park beyond this campaign. At 29, he is still playing in his prime and has got a few years left in him to play at a high level.

Thus, Steven Gerrard would be wise to listen to Jones’ advice by sealing a permanent transfer for the talented playmaker in the off-season. The Brazilian would enhance the overall quality of his match-day squad next season and might even help the West Midlands giants challenge for some silverware as well.