Has Arsenal’s path to signing Coutinho just got easier?
If Arsenal do want to pursue a transfer deal for Philippe Coutinho in the near future, it could be encouraging to hear that his former club Liverpool won’t be trying to re-sign him.
The Brazil international has flopped at Barcelona and on loan at Bayern Munich, so it’s perhaps not surprising some clubs don’t want to take a gamble on him right now.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Reds have decided not to bring Coutinho back to Anfield, though their report also suggests the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea also have their reservations about the player.
Another previous report from the Mirror claimed we’d registered an interest in Coutinho, but the line now seems to be that he’s too expensive.
That’s probably a sensible approach, though one has to wonder if things could change and Barca lower his asking price to get him off their books, or perhaps offer him out on loan again.
If that became an option, Arsenal could do well to swoop ahead of their rivals, who don’t seem particularly keen on giving the 27-year-old another chance in the Premier League.
As we know, Coutinho was world class during his time at Liverpool and you could easily imagine they would have been his preference in his bid to get his career back on track.
If they’re definitely not going to pursue him, as the Mirror claim, that should make it a lot easier for Arsenal to potentially snap him up if a more realistic deal can be agreed.
With Mesut Ozil past his best and Aaron Ramsey leaving last summer, there is surely room in our squad for a top creative player like Coutinho.
Don’t rly want him. Will be to expensive when we should spend that money elsewhere.