Phillipe Coutinho, Unai Emery
(Credit: Imago)
Villa News Speaking to Bryan King
Mon 16 June 2025 16:10, UK
Philippe Coutinho’s ill-fated time at Aston Villa looks to be drawing to a close.
Coutinho made his Villa stay permanent in 2022, following a successful spell on loan from Barcelona under former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.
However, the diminutive midfielder failed to live up to his early promise and quickly found himself surplus to requirements under Unai Emery.
The Brazilian was sent out on loan, first to Al-Duhail, then to Vasco da Gama, and looks set to leave Villa for good this summer following recent discussions.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery
Emery hardly afforded Coutinho any game time at Villa (Credit: Imago)
Villa are discussing the early termination of Coutinho’s contract
Coutinho recaptured some of his form during his latest loan spell in his home country, prompting the Vasco da Gama CEO, Carlos Amodeo, to announce that the Brazilian club wish to keep Coutinho beyond this summer.
Villa are willing to offload the player, and according to the Express and Star (13 June), discussions are ongoing over the early termination of the 33-year-old’s contract.
MORE VILLA STORIES
With one year left on his lucrative deal, Villa will hope that they can remove the attacking midfielder from the wage bill to help combat financial concerns in the West Midlands.
And ex-Villa scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – believes that it would benefit both parties, with Coutinho set to sign a more lucrative deal if he is allowed to leave for free.
“Aston Villa could allow Coutinho to leave for free,” King said.
“He’ll be off the wage bill, he’s free to go back to Brazil to play his football, and that will be a solution that suits everybody.
“I think Villa will just allow him to join Vasco da Gama for free. If they’re going to let him walk away for free, to join this new club, receive a signing-on fee and high wages, they won’t need to pay Coutinho any money.
“That is the best way to get a high-paid player off the wage bill. Otherwise, if they start messing around with a fee, or Coutinho giving up some of his wages, it’s going to cause problems.
“A simple solution is to allow Coutinho to join Vasco De Gama for free, which means he will get better wages and a lucrative signing-on fee.”
Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho failed to impress during his time with Villa (Credit: Imago)
Coutinho gamble didn’t pay off
Coutinho’s huge-money move to Barcelona never paid off, leaving the Catalan club in financial ruin as they failed to extract value from the deal.
When the midfielder arrived at Villa for a reported £17million, it was seen as a risk worth taking, given his initial impact in the Premier League with Liverpool and flashes of brilliance under Gerrard.
However, the mood around the creative player quickly changed, with Emery not affording Coutinho a single start in the league as he struggled to acclimatise back to the intensity of the English top flight and match Emery’s physically demanding style of play.
Related Posts