View: Philippe Coutinho playing for future at Aston Villa under Unai Emery
Philippe Coutinho was a man with a point to prove for Aston Villa against Arsenal on Saturday (18 February) as he was handed a rare Premier League start by Unai Emery.
The playmaker has fallen behind fellow South American Emi Buendia in the pecking order at Villa Park in recent months, but played like a man possessed against Mikel Arteta’s side and got himself on the scoresheet for the first time this season with a smart finish beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
Despite his fine performance, one nagging question remains. Can both Buendia and Coutinho feature in a successful Aston Villa team, and if not, is the Brazilian the expendable asset?
The once £146million player has struggled to impact proceedings at Villa Park this season after confirming his £17million move to the club last summer, and has looked a shade of the player who lit up the Premier League with Liverpool all those years ago.
His fall from grace under Emery almost led to a January exit, according to the Sunday Mirror (5 February), with Turkish giants Galatasaray submitting interest in taking the 30-year-old on loan until the end of the season. In the end, Coutinho remained in the West Midlands to fight for his place in the starting XI, and showed fans a glimpse of his potential with a strong 62 minutes of play on the left-side of midfield on Saturday.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, The Athletic’s Dan Bardell admitted that Coutinho’s future currently hangs in the balance, but there is a spot in the first-team beyond this season if he meets expectations.
He said: “I think he is playing for his future at the moment. If he doesn’t make a desirable impact in the coming three or four months, he’ll be one they look to move on in the summer.
“It depends how much Coutinho wants it. There is a place for him at Villa if he really does want it.
“It’s all a confidence thing. He will know he is on big wages and Villa have spent a lot of money on him, and he’ll want to come good himself. He won’t be happy with some of his performances and the minutes he has been getting this season, so it’s a case of Coutinho playing for his future under Emery.
“The fans know there is a good player there, a Premier League capable player, because we did see it last season in games at home to Leeds and Southampton where he absolutely magnificent.
“He’s got to do everything he can to stay in the team, because it’s debatable if he’s in Villa’s best starting XI at the moment.”
With John McGinn back to full fitness following his hamstring injury and Buendia finding a new lease of life under the Spanish manager, Coutinho finds his route back to the first-team littered with hurdles.
The mercurial talent has 15 Premier League games to prove to Emery that he deserves a spot in his long-term plans at Villa Park – otherwise his career may take another step in the wrong direction.
In other Aston Villa news, the club want to reunite with a former player for a fee in excess of £40million in the summer.