Gabby Agbonlahor says ‘it hasn’t worked’ for Philippe Coutinho at Aston Villa and it’s best if he is sold by the club this summer.
The 31-year-old was brought in by Steven Gerrard during the 2022 January transfer window and there was a lot of hype around his arrival, as he initially joined on a loan deal from Barcelona, before it was made permanent the following summer.
Former Villa striker Agbonlahor admitted that he was ‘excited’ by Philippe Coutinho’s capture, at first, but just like his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, his form has gone out of the window, as he told talkSPORT.
From Coutinho’s 46 games in Villa colours, he has scored six goals and supplied just three assists, which is reflective of his time in the Midlands.
Fans expected to be lifted off their seat by the quick-thinking playmaker, but instead, their arms have been folded as Coutinho has found the Premier League too aggressive, hard-hitting and physical to deal with.
Bearing all of that in mind, and the fact that Villa will return to Europe next season, Agbonlahor thinks big changes need to be made to the squad and he shared why he would sell Coutinho.
“Coutinho hasn’t worked,” said Agbonlahor. “I am surprised (it hasn’t worked). I remember I was so excited and I remember commenting to Steven Gerrard about what a coup it was getting Coutinho.
“It’s not worked. Buendia has been a better player. There is a reason why it didn’t work for him when he left Liverpool.
“At some games, he does unbelievable things. He scored a good goal this season (against Arsenal). He does some great things, but then he will be injured, and then the next game he is off it and getting bullied easily.”
Coutinho under Emery
It has to be noted that Coutinho has struggled at Villa, but mainly under Gerrard.
The thing here is that many players, from John McGinn to Tyrone Mings, could all argue that they went backwards under Gerrard, before Unai Emery lifted them up again and guided them to an unexpected European finish.
It has to be said, in the very few games Coutinho played under Emery, he showed promise, including breaking his goalscoring duck for the season when he netted during his side’s crushing 4-2 defeat to Arsenal back in February.
Perhaps, just perhaps, Coutinho needs to stay out of the treatment room, and then get regular minutes under Emery and he will be able to work his magic on the Brazil star, just like he has done with Mings, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia, all of whom struggled under their previous manager.
But, it has to be said, if the call is made to move Coutinho on this summer, then he can’t complain and he wouldn’t be much of a loss because he has brought very little to the table.
