Twitter reacts as Philippe Coutinho joins Aston Villa
Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho has sealed a remarkable return to the Premier League after joining Aston Villa on a six-month loan deal on Friday. The 29-year-old, who endured a forgetful stint at Barcelona since leaving Liverpool on a £142 million deal in 2018, has been actively on the lookout for a new club.
Coutinho has now been reunited with former teammate and captain Steven Gerrard at Villa Park. Gerrard, who played alongside Coutinho from 2013-15, was appointed manager of Aston Villa after the sacking of Dean Smith earlier this season.
Philippe Coutinho’s Premier League career for Liverpool by numbers:
152 appearances
302 chances created
150 through balls
52 big chances created
41 goals
35 assists
19 goals from outside the box
5 free-kicks scored
Reunited with Steven Gerrard. 🤝 https://t.co/k7McGx9nB1
Notably, Villa also have the option of buying Coutinho permanently at the end of his loan spell. Barcelona have been crippled by their financial crisis and have succeeded in offloading one of their highest earners, albeit temporarily, for now. It has been reported that Villa will pay the bulk of the Barcelona midfielder's salary.
In an official statement, Aston Villa announced:
“Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park."
“The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.”
Coutinho could make Aston Villa debut against Manchester United
Following his return to England, Coutinho may be in contention to make his Villa debut against Manchester United next weekend. Steven Gerrard's men are in action against the Red Devils in the FA Cup on Monday, but have another meeting with the English giants in the Premier League next Saturday.
It will be interesting to see if the former Liverpool man makes an appearance against his old rivals Manchester United. Notably, Villa registered a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture between the sides at Old Trafford earlier this season.
As expected, Coutinho linking up with Gerrard at Villa has sent social media into a frenzy. Football fans from across the globe expressed their thoughts on the transfer. Amidst the chaos, an old tweet from former Villa captain Jack Grealish even resurfaced.
that guyThe way I love coutinho 😂 that guy
On that note, here are some of the best tweets on the same:
@AVFCOfficial @Transferzone00 No way did villa sell grealish for £100m n get a better player on loan 6 months later😭😭😭
@AVFCOfficial Gerrard pulling power is insane
@AVFCOfficial @premierleague OH MY GOD
@AVFCOfficial Good luck Philippe
@AVFCOfficial Gerrard’s getting the band back together 😍 https://t.co/ULv86kAiJb
🏿@AVFCOfficial Huge signing 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
@AVFCOfficial 🤩 https://t.co/kGW0tNmJr7
@AVFCOfficial https://t.co/aNxvQJytTC
@AVFCOfficial @premierleague Cracking signing. Got £100m for Grealish then signed an upgrade!
@AVFCOfficial @ReshadRahman_ Take good care of him ♥️ https://t.co/Dl541S7Jqa
@AVFCOfficial i wish he will shine he deserve ❤️❤️ https://t.co/uR8bK2q5jy
@AVFCOfficial https://t.co/9D7jGL1FvK
@FCBarcelona @AVFCOfficial 💙❤️ good luck Coutinho https://t.co/Iy5CDpYyOH
@FCBarcelona @AVFCOfficial It's a bit sad he didn't achieve his full potential at barca but I think he just needs a new environment it's been so long that I've almost forgotten how good he used to be I hope he can regain his form in England. At least this should allow barca to register Ferran.
@FCBarcelona @AVFCOfficial Laporta has gone mad
He was the only one who could have played to Iniesta's level
Help him someone
Philippe Coutinho, my jaw is on the floor.
I chose the wrong day to have a lie in.
If you’d have told me that we’d sell Grealish but sign Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho, I probs would have taken it twitter.com/avfcofficial/s…
How much will Philippe Coutinho cost in #FPL? 🤔👇
#AVFC #DGW22 https://t.co/G5GxN3LFBS
Philippe Coutinho! Surely the most exciting #AstonVilla signing in my lifetime. Samba lessons for the Holte End?
Aston Villa as a club went from losing star players and signing the likes of Ashley Young and Axel Tuanzebe to signing 160m superstars like Philippe Coutinho simply through Gerrard's pull
Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho never lost a game whilst being on the pitch together at Liverpool 👀 https://t.co/EQQ91TY7Th
@ConnCFC @AVFCOfficial Belive it! He’s clear of Kovacic btw
@AVFCOfficial Sold Jack Grealish for £100M and got Coutinho for free. What a scoop. Massive upgrade.
@AVFCOfficial https://t.co/8dHKhigdqk