It is possible that Philippe Coutinho will be able to play alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. This is due to the fact that the attacker ‘doesn’t feature’ in Unai Emery’s plans for Aston Villa after spending time on loan in Qatar.
The Brazilian player, who is now 31 years old, made a temporary move to the Qatar Super League team Al-Duhail in September. He made his debut with a goal in a 2-1 victory over Al-Markhiya, which was played away from home. However, he has not scored another goal in a total of six appearances over the course of four months.
Although he is currently scheduled to return to the Midlands this month, it has been reported that Emery and the club administrators at Villa are searching for an alternative method to ship out the player, which may be in the form of a loan or a transfer.
In particular, there is debate about Coutinho playing in Major League Soccer, and more particularly, at clubs like as Miami or L.A. Galaxy, as stated by the Spanish daily AS.
As a result of his transfer to Barcelona in 2018, which was worth 142 million pounds, Coutinho is considered to be the most expensive January signing in the history of the sport. However, since the move, which occurred six years ago, he has not been able to advance in his career.
Phillippe Coutinho is set for an overseas move to America if he returns from Qatar this month
The 31-year-old Brazilian would play with Lionel Messi again if he joins Inter Miami this month
Since Unai Emery took over for Steven Gerrard in October of this year, Coutinho has had a difficult time finding playing time. He was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the 2019-2020 season, and even though he enjoyed a successful spell in Bavaria by scoring eight goals in 23 appearances and lifting a Champions League trophy there, the Bavarians didn’t activate the option to sign the player on a permanent contract in the summer of 2020 for €120M euros.
After that, Coutinho went back to Barcelona in August of that year, following the appointment of new coach Ronald Koeman. However, he sustained a significant knee injury in December, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season. For an undisclosed cost, which was estimated to be £17 million, Coutinho made his stay at Villa Park permanent for a four-year contract after scoring five goals in 21 appearances during the second part of the 2021-22 season. Coutinho was initially signed on loan by Steven Gerrard, a close friend and former manager of Aston Villa. Coutinho, however, has swiftly found himself falling down the pecking order in attack under Emery. He was only involved in 20 matches out of a potential 38 in the Premier League last season, and he only scored once. This is due to the fact that Gerrard was fired in October 2022.
Not only could Coutinho play alongside Messi once more in Miami, but he could also play alongside Luis Suarez, a former teammate of his from Barcelona and Liverpool who signed with the Herons for the 2024-25 season in December. Coutinho’s exceptional vision and passing abilities gave him the nickname “The Little Magician” back in his home country.
Additionally, Coutinho would get reunited with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, both of whom had previously played for Barcelona. When the offensive midfielder, who is also capable of playing on the wing, moves to Los Angeles, he will be playing on the same field as Riqui Puig, who was a former colleague of his at Barcelona.