Aston Villa had a good summer transfer window. Unai Emery had a plan all along and the board helped him to execute those plans whilst following within FFP guidelines.
Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho is in Qatar for medical
After getting off to winning ways in the Europa Conference League campaign, the Villans’ transfer window seemed like a distant memory. Surely, with much of the European transfer window now closed, there wouldn’t be any attention to their players, right?
Wrong. Philippe Coutinho is still subject a move away, as he looks to be undertaking the steps to move to Qatar. Indeed, according to Inside Futbol, Coutinho has arrived in Qatar to complete his medical to sign for Pro League side Al-Duhail.
In truth, Coutinho’s time in the West Midlands didn’t go as planned. Of course, everybody knows of his Premier League legacy, since he was Liverpool’s best player for many seasons. However, he couldn’t fulfil the same legacy at Villa Park.
Villa have an immensely talented squad, meaning Coutinho felt surplus to requirements at times. This season, for example, Coutinho has only made two appearances, both of them from the bench and both of them with little time to prove anything to Unai Emery.
Al Duhail are now closing in on Philippe Coutinho deal! Final details to be sorted later today with Aston Villa then here we go 🟣🔵🇶🇦 #AVFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2023
Qatari side agreed personal terms with Coutinho one week ago, he didn’t listen to Betis/Besiktas.
Details being ironed out. #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/Rc6f5Qmb03
Ageing at 31 years old, you can’t blame Coutinho for taking this move away to a developing league to guarantee yourself game time. After all, he’s proven a lot of himself in Europe, so a new challenge will suit the midfield maestro.
From Aston Villa’s perspective, losing a player when your transfer window is closed is bound to be annoying. However, given Coutinho’s squad role, a replacement was unnecessary anyway.
Do you think Philippe Coutinho will be a success in Qatar?