Why Arsenal should push ahead with a loan move for Philippe Coutinho
According to Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Arsenal are considering a loan move for Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho which could be worth over £27m.
Barcelona are desperate to offload the Brazilian playmaker, who has failed to live up to the expectations since his big-money move from Liverpool back in January 2018. However, Coutinho’s heavy wages have proved to be a major stumbling block, that the Catalans have now decided to send him on loan for another season. (h/t Daily Mail)
Coutinho had spent the is on loan at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich till the end of next month. He has had a rather mixed season with the Bavarian side featuring just 23 times in the league. However, he still gave a glimpse of his attacking abilities by scoring eight goals and providing six assists.
Coutinho will return to Barcelona once his loan deal expires. However, with him not a part of the plans at Camp Nou, Arsenal are keen on bringing him to the Emirates. (h/t Daily Mail)
However, any club interested in his services will have to pay Barcelona a sum worth over £27m – £18.2m for the loan and £9.1 million to cover his wages. (h/t Daily Mail)
Coutinho can offer Arsenal creativity in the middle
Arsenal, meanwhile, have had their issues within the side, especially in their midfield and defence, which has seen them slip to a lowly eighth in the league rankings this season.
If it wasn’t for the form of star striker Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, they would have finished in an even lower down the pecking order. Star midfielder and playmaker Mesut Ozil has seen a dip in form which resulted in manager Mikel Arteta dropping him from their first-team line-up in recent games.
The 31-year-old has started to show signs of ageing after managing just a single goal and two assists this season. This gives a clear picture of the side’s lack of creativity in the middle and their dependency on Aubameyang.
Apart from Ozil, the Gunners does not have any other attacking midfielder in their side, thus making complete sense of their interest in Coutinho.
Coutinho, meanwhile, is not someone new to Premier League, having earned himself the move to Barcelona following his excellent spell with former side Liverpool. The Brazilian had racked up a whopping 54 goals and 45 assists during his five-year stint with Reds.
Considering all this, the Gunners attempt to land the expensive Brazilian on a loan seems like a wise move. He can offer Arsenal creativity, which they lack so much in the middle and help them climb the table next season.
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Verdict
Arsenal’s dearth of creative playmakers has been quite evident this season. This will hurt them next season if they do not find a solution for it. That said, who better than Coutinho, who has already proven himself in the Premier League. Also, a loan move looks like a realistic option as it would give them time to monitor his game and sign him permanently later.
