Why Everton should land Philippe Coutinho soon
According to Sport (h/t Daily Mirror), Everton are planning to secure the services of out-of-favour Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian playmaker has struggled to make an impact at Camp Nou since leaving former side Liverpool for a hefty £105million in 2018. Despite spending big on Coutinho, Barcelona were left unimpressed by the Brazilian’s display that he was offered on loan to Bayern Munich the following summer.
Meanwhile, Coutinho has spent the season on loan with the Bavarian giants, making 32 appearances for them this term. Though he has scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists, the Bundesliga outfit has not been convinced yet by his performances.
This has seen the German side choose to not buy Coutinho permanently, thus putting his future in limbo. With Barcelona now desperate to offload their unwanted man, Premier League side Everton have now entered the race to secure the playmaker’s signature.
Coutinho can offer Everton creativity in the middle
Meanwhile, Everton led by new boss Carlo Ancelotti have endured a difficult campaign this season. They are currently 12th in the league table and were at one point among the bottom sides in the table after a series of poor displays. However, Ancelotti’s arrival has brought back some stability into a side that seemed to lack it earlier.
However, Ancelotti needs to bring some new players to improve his side’s displays next season. That said, Everton are considering the possibilities of making a move for Coutinho, who once was a Premier League star at Liverpool. Coutinho appeared 201 times for the Reds, scoring 54 goals and assisting 45 times.
Meanwhile, Everton’s lack of creativity in the middle has seen the side suffer for goals this season. They have managed just 37 league goals from 29 games – the majority of which have been scored by their in-form strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
The Toffees just have one attacking midfielder in Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson, who was Everton’s top goal scorer (13) and best assist provider (6) last season has looked like a mere shadow of his past this term.
His form has stooped so low that he has managed just two goals and as many assists this entire season despite making 27 appearances this time for the Toffees.
With the side clearly lacking a creative player in their mix, Coutinho seems like a perfect fit at Goodison Park at this moment. Also, the Premier League has been Coutinho’s happy hunting ground and Everton can offer him a chance to once again revive his career.
Read more:
- Why Everton should offload Yannick Bolasie in the summer
- Why Cengiz Under would be a good fit at Everton
- Everton willing to swap promising 20-year-old starlet Moise Kean to sign veteran star – A wasteful move?
Verdict
Given their dearth of established creative midfielders, roping in the talented Coutinho seems like a wise decision. Also, in Coutinho, Everton can use the services of a goal-scoring playmaker, who has played for some of the best teams in Europe. Hence, the Toffees should continue their pursuit of the Brazilian and land him soon.
