Gary Lineker has tweeted his verdict after Aston Villa completed the high-profile signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona.
Villa announced the capture of the Brazilian maestro on loan until the end of the season on Friday morning.
A short statement was released following intense speculation, confirming that Coutinho would travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.
The deal is subject to the completion of a medical and the granting of a work permit, while Villa have also secured an option to buy at the end of the season.
Lineker offers Coutinho verdict
The announcement has caused quite a stir on social media, with the initial post racking up over 50k likes by the time of writing.
Most Villa fans see it as a big statement of intent and Lineker agrees with them.
‘Very exiting (sic) acquisition for @AVFCOfficial in Philippe Coutinho,’ he tweeted.
‘No question the Steven Gerrard pulling power would have played a huge part.’
Gerrard makes Aston Villa transfer impact
It’s hard to disagree with Lineker’s verdict.
Coutinho is a high-class player who lit up the Premier League during his spell at Liverpool and although he didn’t manage to live up to his eye-watering £142m price tag at Barcelona, he brings real X-factor to the Villa squad.
Villa are, of course, a big club, but given that the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle were all also credited with interest [The Mirror], it’s hard not to feel like Gerrard’s relationship with the 29-year-old must have been a key factor.
Rangers signings consistently pointed to the Gerrard factor as a big pull during his time in Glasgow and it looks like the Scouser has already increased Villa’s power in the transfer market.
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