According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are considering a move to sign Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window.
It’s claimed that Arsenal are cooling their interest in Lyon ace Houssem Aouar, and are now back to considering Coutinho alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt.
The 28-year-old is back at Barca after a loan spell with Bayern Munich, and he has hit three goals and two assists in 14 games for the Catalan giants this season.
Joorabchian involved… again
A move for Coutinho would see Arsenal once again strike a deal with Kia Joorabchian, the super-agent who represents the Brazilian star.
Joorabchian has had a key role at Arsenal in recent times, given that he his a long-time friend of Arsenal’s technical director Edu.
Willian, Cedric Soares and David Luiz are all represented by Joorabchian and have been signed by Edu, so a move for Coutinho materialising wouldn’t be a shock at all.
Providing the ‘magic’?
Mikel Arteta needs creativity, and whilst Emile Smith Rowe has impressed in Arsenal’s last two games, adding a more proven option like Coutinho could make some sense.
Coutinho was a star in the Premier League with Liverpool, as Brendan Rodgers once praised him for providing ‘magic’ in the final third.
That’s exactly what Arsenal need, but whether Arteta can get him back to his best remains to be seen after a tricky few years.
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