Reporter Han Bing reported that on the 7th, La Liga Barcelona and Premier League Aston Villa club have been officially announced, Coutinho joined Villa on loan.
Previously, Coutinho was loaned to Bayern and was "returned" by the German giants without exercising the pre-emptive right after the season. This season, Coutinho has become a "big problem" for Barca to free up salary space for reinforcements. Not only Koeman, but also Xavi, don't like the Brazilian who once played for hundreds of millions of euros at Liverpool. Coutinho has played just 16 games this season, totaling 608 minutes and 2 goals. Barca had to get rid of him before they could register their new signing, Ferran Torres. It's just that people don't expect that in the end, it will be Liverpool gerald who gives Coutinho a place to stay.
Coutinho still wants to be a member of the Brazilian national team, or even to play in the World Cup as a main player, and to achieve this goal, he must become a main player at the club. The situation is stronger than the people, and the Brazilian front, which has now shrunk to 18 million euros, can only accept the reality of returning to the Premier League from the relegation team to compete for the main position. Who would have thought that just 3 years and 2 months ago, he would be the world's top superstar worth 150 million euros?
Coutinho's experience at Barca is unbearable, and in just half a season, the Brazilian has become a symbol of shame and scandal. Even if he was loaned to Bayern for a little bravery, and even scored twice in the game of abusing Barca 8-2, he has been a must-sell for Barca for more than two years. There are too many trades with extremely poor value for money in the Bartomeu era, but Coutinho definitely tops the list. With an annual salary of 16 million euros, only 608 minutes of playing time and 2 goals, Laporta certainly can't accept it.
Wealthy Premier League clubs are interested in Coutinho's skills and experience, and his illustrious resume at Liverpool was a very important bonus. Coutinho eventually chose Gerald's Aston Villa, also because Gerrard had worked with him for two years at Liverpool and was very familiar with him. Gerald admires Coutinho very much, believing that the Brazilian forward is a real frontcourt "magician".
Coutinho is part of Barca's overall wage cut plan, and last summer, Griezmann, who earned 21 million euros a year, left, and Umtiti, who earns 20 million euros a year, has basically found his next home. Pique (28 million), Busquets (23 million) and Alba (20 million), the team's highest-paid annual salaries, are hard to shake unless they choose to cut their salaries or retire. Coutinho was the first step in Barca's total salary cut in the winter window, and Barca didn't even consider his return at all. After the expiry of the loan period, the agreement contains an optional buyout clause that can bring a certain amount of income to Barca. Villa will have to pay 60 percent of the Brazilian's salary, with the remaining 40 percent still having to be paid for by Barca.
In just four years, fans have witnessed how a world-class superstar worth 150 million euros has fallen to the altar step by step. One might say that joining Barca was a mistake, after all, his technical advantages are very prominent in the Premier League, but in La Liga it has been weakened a lot. The continuous injuries and the harsh public opinion that had to endure the contrast with Neymar have affected his performance to some extent.
Dembele, also worth more than 100 million euros, is vulnerable to his own muscles and bones; Coutinho, vulnerable is the mind. From Liverpool's success to being humiliated at Camp Nou, he couldn't withstand such a big change and couldn't exert his full capacity, creating a vicious circle.
In a way, Coutinho is somewhat similar to former Real Madrid star J Ronaldo. They all had high hopes, but none of them had reached the heights expected by the outside world. Coincidentally, both were exiled to Bayern, but neither was re-recognized in Germany. J Ronaldo, who is now a year older than Coutinho, has fallen into the Qatar league. What will happen to Coutinho in six months?