Aston Villa flop Philippe Coutinho linked with move to the Middle East
Aston Villa flop Philippe Coutinho could finally be leaving the club ‘as Qatari and Saudi clubs prepare offers to sign the out-of-favour Brazilian’
- Philippe Coutinho has been linked with moves to clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia
- The Brazilian has stuggled for game time at Aston Villa since Unai Emery arrived
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 1 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
Philippe Coutinho could be offered a route out of Aston Villa by a Qatari club, according to reports.
The Brazilian playmaker has played just 10 times for Villa since Unai Emery became head coach in October 2022, starting just twice.
He came off the bench for the final three minutes of the 5-1 defeat to Newcastle on the opening day of the Premier League season, but Fabrizio Romano has reported that Coutinho has a ‘chance to leave’ if Villa receive a suitable proposal.
He posted on Twitter: ‘Qatari clubs will insist to sign Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa in the final days of the window.
‘Approaches also from Saudi but Qatari sides [are] pushing.’
Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a transfer to clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia
The Brazillian playmaker has struggled for game time since Unai Emery became Aston Villa head coach in October 2022
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Coutinho enjoyed a successful loan spell at Villa Park after signing in January 2022 when former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard was in charge.
He scored five goals and registered three assists after being frozen out at Barcelona, convincing Villa to spend £17million to sign him permanently.
However, Gerrard’s departure and a hamstring injury meant he found the net just once in the 2022-23 season, and Emery now appears ready to cut ties with the 68-cap Brazil international.
Villa bolstered their attacking options by completing the loan signing of Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray on Friday.
The signing of Nicolo Zaniolo is likely to limit Coutinho’s time on the pitch even further
Coutinho was once one of the Premier League’s most effective attackers during his time at Liverpool
The Midlands club are back in action on Sunday when they host Everton, trying to earn their first win of the new season.
Whether or not Coutinho is involved could offer a hint to where his future lies.
The 31-year-old, who won the Champions League during his time at Bayern Munich, was once one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers and convinced Barcelona to spend £145million on him in 2018.
He now appears set to see out his playing career in the Middle East after struggling to re-capture his spark at Villa Park.
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