Aston Villa’s sale of Jack Grealish back in 2021 subtly marked the start of something special at Villa Park, as the £100m profit obtained for the academy graduate relieved the Villans of anticipated financial concern.
Arguably, without selling the Englishman, current boss Unai Emery would not have had the resources to bolster his squad this summer, reinforcing the strength of the transaction with reference to the Spaniard’s success so far in the Midlands.
Over the years, Villa have made a host of changes to the squad, with players coming and going and big names arriving to join the thrill of the project that the four-time Europa League-winning manager is presenting.
Since taking the reins from Steven Gerrard in October 2022, the former Arsenal boss has had a formidable impact on proceedings at Villa Park, however not all the stars from Gerrard’s squad have been selected to be present on the continued road to bigger things.
One player whose future is far from Emery’s plans is Philippe Coutinho, who was once performing at a higher level than Grealish in Birmingham, with the excitement of his arrival quickly frozen out as reality sunk in.
Why did Aston Villa sign Philippe Coutinho?
In January 2022, Gerrard welcomed the Brazilian to the Midlands on an initial loan deal from Barcelona, which came with the option to buy as he struggled to impose himself in Catalonia.
Having already secured 152 appearances in the Premier League with Liverpool, where he contributed directly to 78 goals – scoring 41 and assisting 37 – it was an automatic boost for Villa to capture his signature given his experience.
The Catalan outfit handed the Reds a monumental cheque of £142m to purchase his services in 2018, all for him to be taken under Gerrard’s wing back in England just under four years later.
Despite struggling at Barcelona, the Brazilian was handed a new lease of life by his former Liverpool teammate at Villa Park, which he repaid by performing strongly during his loan spell in order to seal a permanent move.
In 19 Premier League appearances during his loan, the Champions League winner scored five goals and registered three assists, suggesting that he was once again enjoying his football, bringing joy and excitement to those at Villa.
What was the reaction when Aston Villa signed Philippe Coutinho?
It was unsurprising when in May 2022, it was announced that Villa would sign the former Liverpool genius on a permanent basis from the Catalan giants.
At the point of his permanent arrival, the excitement that the 29-year-old installed at Villa Park was evident in supporters, with Gerrard relaying the reaction from supporters as “very positive” after his successful loan spell.
After the departure of Grealish, there was a void left by the £100m man, one that was seemingly filled by Coutinho who actually provided more goal contributions in the 2021/22 Premier League season than the Englishman during his first term at City.
Jack Grealish vs Philippe Coutinho in the 2021/22 Premier League
Player
Apps
Goals
Assists
Philippe Coutinho
19
5
3
Jack Grealish
26
3
3
Making more of an impact in less than six months than the former Villa sensation had in an entire season at his new home made the reality of losing Grealish easier to swallow, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez unable to determine who was a better player.
The Argentine told Ben Foster on Amazon Prime’s Youtube channel that the Brazilian was “unreal” compared to Grealish, implying that everyone at Villa was more than happy with the Barcelona dud’s permanent arrival.
WhoScored even ranked the Villans’ signing of the Brazilian as the fourth-best capture of the January window, adding fuel to the excitement of his future in the Midlands.
How much did Aston Villa pay for Philippe Coutinho?
Signed for just €20m (£17m), analyst Marcus Bring dubbed Coutinho as a “brilliant addition”, which was a viewpoint shared by many after his stellar audition period prior to his permanent arrival.
The talk of the deal was how the 29-year-old had taken a significant wage cut to make the move, telling of the desperation for him to be freed from his shackles in La Liga.
As per Capology, the former Inter Milan magician was earning a staggering £20m-per-year at Barcelona, which fell to £6.5m-per-year at Villa Park.
While the attacker was still earning an incomprehensible salary to the regular person, his willingness to cut his wage by more than half to sanction a change in scenery reinforced his desire to return to the Premier League.
Taking that, and his success on loan into consideration, what came next for the midfielder at Villa was a level of performance significantly distant from the player he had teased the club with during his trial period.
Has Philippe Coutinho lived up to expectation?
To say that Villa were sold short by Coutinho would be an understatement, with the Brazilian not coming close to performing at the standard that was showcased in the 2021/22 campaign.
In the 2022/23 Premier League season, his first full term in claret and blue, the £17m man scored one goal in 20 appearances, with his overall play deteriorating as he displayed a shadow of his former self.
As per FBref, during his loan spell, Coutinho averaged 0.34 non-penalty goals per 90 and registered 1.69 key passes per 90 in the league, figures that dropped significantly the season after.
In 2022/23, the Brazilian averaged just 0.11 non-penalty goals per 90, with his rate of key passes dipping to only 0.91 per 90, as his impact in the Premier League was tarnished by poor form and injuries.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor branded the midfielder as “non-existent”, explaining that he had a lot to prove after gaining Gerrard’s faith enough to sign him permanently.
Despite still being on Villa’s books today, the 31-year-old is miles away from being in Emery’s plans, almost 4,000 miles away to be exact, as he endeavours on a loan challenge in Qatar away from the Premier League.
What is Philippe Coutinho doing now?
In September, it was announced that the playmaker had joined Qatari side Al Duhail on a season-long loan from Villa, a move that was somewhat mandatory if he was wanting to continue playing regularly.
Now valued at just €5m (£4.3m) by CIES Football Observatory, the Brazilian has had quite the fall from grace since his Liverpool exit, and even further since his Villa arrival as his career continues to fizzle out away from the frame.
Despite his dip in value and form, Coutinho has started life in Qatar well, scoring on his debut in the Qatar Stars League.
The trajectory for the 31-year-old at Villa was once to fill the void left by Grealish, however sometimes in football things don’t work out, a narrative that the former Inter Milan whiz knows all too well.