Whelan Urges Aston Villa To Fund A Permanent Move For On-Loan Playmaker: Should Gerrard Comply?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has urged Aston Villa to fund a permanent move for Philippe Coutinho. Whelan said,

“Coutinho’s already proven what a fantastic signing and how important he is to Aston Villa.

“A player that can change the dynamics of a game you’re losing back into a game that’s possible to win.

“It’s worth paying for quality. That one player can be the catalyst for you to finish in the European positions.

“If you really want to excel into those positions, you need to have a Coutinho. It’s worth paying for, he’s worth every penny.

“With Targett, Aston Villa will be taking in £15million. That’s probably an hour’s wage for Coutinho!

“Steven Gerrard, he won’t be greedy with players and keep them if they’re not going to be used. He has allowed him to go to Newcastle and he has been fantastic.

“For Aston Villa, I think it’s good business, in my opinion.”

Coutinho’s Impressive Loan Spell At The West Midlands Club So Far

Coutinho has made a promising start to life at Villa Park after joining on loan from Barcelona back in January. The ex-Liverpool talent has banged in four goals and grabbed three assists in nine matches for the Villans this season across various competitions.

The 29-year-old has caught the eye by averaging 2.7 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in Premier League football. He has even been tidy when distributing possession in the opponent’s half after making 82.6% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).

Should Aston Villa Boss Steven Gerrard Comply With Whelan’s Advice On Recruiting Coutinho?

Coutinho remains an outstanding playmaker in the opponent’s half as he has still got the vision to play a decisive pass in the attacking end of the field. The Brazil international can strike the ball with a lot of venom and accuracy from long range. He is a joy to watch when he is dribbling at full swing out on the wide areas.

At the moment, Coutinho is receiving regular playing opportunities under Steven Gerrard‘s tutelage at the West Midlands club. Thus, it makes a lot of sense for the player to seal a permanent move to Villa Park when his loan spell comes to an end in the summer.

At 29, Coutinho is currently enjoying his prime, so Gerrard would be wise to comply with Whelan’s advice by selling Matt Targett and using the money to fund a permanent transfer for the Brazilian maestro at the end of this campaign.