Arsenal have set their sights on Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho, 29, is currently enjoying a dream run at Aston Villa. After making his Premier League return, the former Liverpool star’s performances for Steven Gerrard’s side have not gone unnoticed. He has notched up 4 goals and 3 assists in 9 appearances for them.
Coutinho is currently at Aston Villa as part of a loan deal with the option to buy him at the end of the season. Barcelona have slapped a €40 million price tag on the Brazilian and if reports are to be believed, Gerrard is in favor of Villa buying him in May.
Now, Sport understands that Arsenal are also looking at the 29-year-old, to strengthen their midfield for next term. Barca are planning to close the operation by the end of May. The former Liverpool man is also being circled by Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
The source also claims that Barca will not lower their asking fee while the former Liverpool player is keen on hanging on to his current wages. Realistically, Arsenal and Aston Villa may be able to afford him. But, West Ham cannot be counted out, with the revenue from a potential Declan Rice sale looming large.
Philippe Coutinho: The right option for Arteta?
Arsenal are finally starting to click and we are able to see the brand of football that Arteta wants his side to play. That said, the Gunners are in a 4-3-3 system that relies on maintaining possession and choking their opponents with sustained attacks.
Philippe Coutinho was given the freedom to roam freely in Liverpool and that paved the way for his success. Steven Gerrard has also given the midfielder freedom to express himself and has removed the shackles of defensive commitments to a large extent. In a system like Arsenal’s, Coutinho could struggle to adapt.
Philippe Coutinho struggled big time in Barcelona’s 4-3-3 system. Not everything was down to the system and rigidity of the positional setup with the mammoth transfer fee and sky-high expectations playing a major part in his failure in Spain and Germany.
Arsenal have been beaten into shape by Arteta who has managed to instill discipline into a young and vibrant Gunners team. The wingers and the midfielders have been assigned specific roles to complement their attacking flair and the squad looks settled, albeit lacking quality depth to a certain extent.
The former Barcelona player does present with a good market opportunity but Arsenal would be better off without him. With Martin Odegaard set to maintain his central role on the pitch amidst his quick rise in stature in the Premier League, any disruption or tweaks to his current role could once again hamper his career trajectory.
Boubacar Kamara will become a free agent in June and he is a much better option than Coutinho in terms of what Arteta needs. Arsenal will be taking a big gamble should they decide to go with the latter.
