Former Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho has completed a sensational comeback to the English Premier League (EPL) signing for Aston Villa until the end of the season. The current Barcelona player will reunite with former teammate and current head coach of Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard. The move comes after Barcelona were forced to offload one of their current stars to manage the balance sheet with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Coutinho, tipped for a transfer in the January window was tracked by fellow PL clubs Tottenham Hotspurs and Everton. But it is the Club from Birmingham who beat thier EPL rivals for the star Brazilian. He shared more than two years at Anfield with Gerrard, when the latter served as the captain of the 19-time league champions, before departing for Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2015.
The 29-year-old would eye a revival in his career after disappointing spell at the helm of Spanish giants Barcelona. After his proposed 142-million € move in 2018, he endured a tough time. He was sent on loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019-20 season, where he would win a treble under current Germany manager Hansi Flick. Interestingly, he scored twice against his parent club during his time at the record German champions in a Champions League (CL) quarter-final clash in August 2020 which saw Barcelona lose 2-8.
Coutinho will have to wait for his second EPL debut as teams are scheduled to play FA Cup third round this weekend. If all goes right, the Brazilian could make his debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night, while he will most probably make his EPL debut against the same opposition when the two teams meet in the EPL next Saturday at Villa Park. In 152 EPL games Coutinho has nurtured 41 goals and 35 assists.
