Aston Villa could be forced into dramatic U-turn on Philippe Coutinho after Emi Buendia development
Emi Buendia’s knee ligament injury so close to the start of the season represents a huge blow for Aston Villa and Unai Emery could yet be forced into a dramatic U-turn on Philippe Coutinho’s future.
The BBC reported on 10 August that the injury will keep him out of action for eight months, with the new campaign arguably supposed to be Buendia’s biggest yet in the West Midlands.
News of Buendia’s injury surprisingly broke via Aston Villa’s official website, and the likely replacements to fill Buendia’s void include Leon Bailey, Cameron Archer and youngster Jaden Philogene, with all three capable of filling the inverted wide role in the Argentine’s absence or even at number 10.
However, the Buendia development could now have a telling impact on the future of Coutinho who has endured a rather disastrous year at Villa Park and has long been linked with an inevitable Villa Park exit.
The links to several clubs have been rampant with Turkish sides Besiktas and Galatasaray reportedly keen on his services, while Steven Gerrard is desperate for a reunion with him at his new club in Saudi Arabia, Al-Ettifaq (Daily Mail, 14 June).
Also, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (5 August), an unnamed Qatari club has asked to be informed on what it would take to tempt Villa into selling the Brazilian maestro, but Emery now certainly has a key decision to make quicker than expected.
It is abundantly clear that Buendia would be sorely missed at Villa Park after emerging last season as one of their most decisive and gifted creative weapons last season.
In terms of his final third influence this season, the 26-year-old playmaker has grabbed all the headlines and the stats have proved as much. Buendia ranked third in the Villa team for key passes (41), second for shot-creating actions (90), and fourth for goal-creating actions (10), as per FBRef last season, showcasing his tremendous exploits when trying to create chances for his teammates.
He also ranks in the 93rd percentile of forwards in Europe’s top-five leagues for through balls per 90 [FBRef], and in fact provided considerably more of those than any of his Villa teammates [WhoScored], proving just how crucial he is and will continue to be in the final third.
Buendia’s defensive work also proved incredibly crucial, ranking in the 86th percentile for tackles, averaging 1.98 per game from his advanced midfield position, while he is also in the 81st percentile for interceptions with 0.76 per game [FBref], displaying his eagerness to track back and help out his team, which has been a major factor in Villa’s defensive stability under Unai Emery.
Coutinho ranks higher than Buendia in terms of tackling, making 2.42 tackles per game, which sees him rank in the 99th percentile but can’t match the interceptions with just 0.38 per game, putting him in the 36th percentile [FBref], and there may well be a chance for the Brazilian to improve on those figures and provide Emery with the creative answers he requires now that Buendia is on the treatment table for a lengthy period of time.
Coutinho signed for Villa for a big-money £17million fee last summer from Barcelona after a successful loan spell with the club the season before where he hit eight goal involvements (five goals and three assists) from 16 Premier League starts (19 appearances in total).
Since then, the former Liverpool player’s form and confidence took an incredible hit, with injuries proving the decisive factor, only making just three starts since the turn of 2023.
In fact, Coutinho’s star has sadly been on the wane over the past few seasons and the 2022-23 campaign did indicate a player who struggles to influence a game like he used to.
Coutinho managed just one goal and zero assists, starting just seven league games and appearing in 20 in total. Indeed, he had an expected goal rate of only 1.4 and an expected assists rate of a mere 0.5 [FBRef].
However, every Aston Villa fan knows what Coutinho produces when he’s on song, having already provided telling glimpses during his first few months under Steven Gerrard. The question is, can Emery draw out those undeniable game-changing qualities should he now remain at Villa Park?
It remains to be seen.
Buendia’s injury is undoubtedly a huge blow for Aston Villa’s ambitions this season, and there are no guarantees that Villa will be able to dip into the market for a replacement but Emery could already have the ideal solution right under his nose in Coutinho. A dramatic U-turn on his immediate future may well be on the cards.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have a crucial decision to make on one bright academy teenager who looks ready for first-team exposure this season.