Charles Watts has suggested that he doesn’t feel Arsenal will be signing Philippe Coutinho this summer on his own Youtube channel.
Reports in Spain suggested that Arsenal could make a bid for Coutinho in the summer, with the Barcelona playmaker’s future uncertain.
However, Watts says that Arsenal insiders have always played down links with Coutinho to him – which originally came out last year.
And the Goal.com reporter suggests that he doesn’t think Arsenal’s stance over signing the Brazilian will have changed in the last few months.
“Arsenal have been linked with him again. I think reports emerged in Spain saying they were looking at him if they can’t get Odegaard over the line in the summer,” Watts said.
“In terms of Arsenal’s chances, I can only say what I’ve heard – not even right now, but certainly in the summer when they were being linked constantly with him.
“I was told from people that I fully trust at Arsenal that there was absolutely nothing in that.
“It’s an easy link to make because Coutinho is represented by Kai Joorabchian, and he has a big say in Arsenal’s transfer business.
“It was constantly mentioned but all the time through all that speculation I was told that Coutinho to Arsenal was not going to happen and I wouldn’t expect that stance has changed dramatically now.”
Coutinho, on paper, looks an appealing addition for Arsenal – but the more assessment of the potential transfer that is done, the more it looks like one the Gunners should avoid.
Coutinho would cost a fortune in wages, a sizeable transfer fee, and offer very little in terms of re-sale value, given his advancing years.
The £142 million man’s (BBC Sport) confidence must also have been knocked, after another season where he has struggled to show his best at Barca.
And while Coutinho was once one of the Premier League’s most dangerous creators, Arsenal surely have better options to pursue this summer.
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