Ray Parlour is not surprised to see Arsenal back away from a deal for Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho, speaking to talkSPORT (7 January, 9am) after Premier League rivals Aston Villa tied up a short-term loan deal.
A few days after Barcelona paid a club-record £142 million to lure Coutinho away from Liverpool in January 2018, Scott Hogan fired Aston Villa to a nail-biting Championship victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
If we told you back then that Coutinho would be swapping the Camp Nou for claret-and-blue four years later, you’d be forgiven for questioning our sanity.
But things change quickly in football.
On Friday morning, Aston Villa confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in European football, announcing that a deal has been agreed to sign the 63-time Brazil international on loan with an option to buy (Guardian).
Top-flight rivals Arsenal were reportedly interested in Coutinho too. But, as Parlour points out, Mikel Arteta is hardly lacking in the attacking midfield department at present.
Are Arsenal right to stay away from Philippe Coutinho?
“They went for (Martin) Odegaard,” says Parlour, the three-time Premier League winner. “They don’t really need him (Coutinho) cause Emile Smith Rowe is there as well.
“(Gabriel Martinelli) played really well against Manchester City. (Joao) Cancelo is a top class player and it was hard work for him. He’s got so much pace.”
Arsenal appear to be prioritising additions higher up the pitch at the moment. Understandably so, given that every one of the senior centre-forwards at Arteta’s disposal facing an uncertain future in North London.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will be free-agents in July while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seems to have found himself in Mesut Ozil territory, locked in a gilded cage of his own making.
“The problem with Arsenal is, if Lacazette gets injured, what are they gonna do?” Parlour adds.” Martinelli could play up front.
“I think they’ll be trying to get (Aubameyang) out the door but its whether he wants to go or not.”
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