BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 29: Philippe Coutinho of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santader match between FC Barcelona and C.A. Osasuna at Camp Nou on November 29, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
According to Mirror, Arsenal could be handed a boost in their pursuit of Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho. It is being reported that the La Liga giants are willing to let the former Liverpool man leave due to financial constraints resulting from the ongoing pandemic. They believe that the player still retains a high resale value and want to cash in on that.
Coutinho was a huge talent during his Liverpool days and was one of their best players under Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp. He regularly chipped in with goals and assists. A neat dribbler of the ball, the Brazilian can crack open the meanest of defenses with ease. He has still got all that in his locker, as we saw at Bayern.
His Barcelona blip can largely be put down to a few factors such as being played out of position and not being allowed the creative freedom he once had. It seemed like he would be the perfect replacement for Andres Iniesta but it has been anything but.
It almost seems like Arsenal find new depths to sink to after each passing weekend. The Gunners haven’t won their last 7 games and have lost 5 of them. They are 4 points above 18th-placed Burnley, have scored an embarrassing 12 goals and have a negative goal difference. It seems like the players have somewhat given up and Mikel Arteta is holding a ticking time bomb.
Arsenal spent the whole summer chasing Houssem Aouar but couldn’t stump up the money and then switched their attention to Dominik Szoboszlai, only for the player to join RB Leipzig. However, with Barcelona willing to sell Coutinho, Arsenal should do all they can to bring the Brazilian back to the Premier League.
He can be a very good fit for the side as he looks like a player who can be the focal point of the attack. Arteta can switch to a more traditional 4-2-3-1 and Coutinho can slot in as the No.10. That would allow him to affect the attacking play in a major way and benefit the side.
This could be a very good opportunity for Arsenal to bring in a world-class player with Premier League experience. While it remains to be seen how much Barcelona ask for the Brazilian, Arsenal should try to get him even if the fee is a bit higher than they can stump up.