Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that there is a ‘good chance’ that Philippe Coutinho will join Aston Villa on a permanent deal in the summer.
Coutinho joined Villa on loan from Barcelona in January, and has been excellent since he signed, posting seven goal contributions in 11 Premier League games.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard played with Coutinho when the duo were at Liverpool together, and it seems the Reds connection was enough to bring the Brazilian to Villa Park in January, and with the wealthy owners at the club, this could be enough to secure his services on a permanent deal in the summer.
With the wealthy owners at Villa and the impressive performances from Coutinho, Jones spoke to GiveMeSport and highlighted that the odds are in the Villans’ favour over making his deal permanent in the summer.
He said: “Let’s not forget that Aston Villa have extremely rich owners and they’re not a club that are struggling, so he’ll still get paid very well. I think there’s a good chance that it happens.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’ comments…
Coutinho has started to revitalise his world-class form whilst with Aston Villa this season, he has an average of 2.4 shots and an average successful pass rate of 84% per game, as well as an average player rating of 7.17 this season, as per SofaScore.
When lined up against his Villa teammates, only John McGinn has scored higher for his performances, with 7.33.
If Villa want to sign Coutinho on a permanent deal, it is thought they will have to pay £33m for him. But if the Brazilian was to continue his fine form in the remainder of the season, other clubs that play in Europe may start to show interest.
However, Jones’ comments will surely give Villa supporters plenty of encouragement.