Arsenal are set to sign Philippe Coutinho on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona, according to claims from L’Equipe journalist Bilel Ghazi.
Twitter: Info @lequipe : Philippe Coutinho (FC Barcelone) vers Arsenal. Le milieu offensif brésilien devrait faire l’objet d… https://t.co/cIVLsH6KWK (@BilelGhazi)
The Gunners appear to be leading the race to recruit the Brazil international, who has fallen out of favour under Ernesto Valverde at Camp Nou.
Unai Emery’s side have already been busy in the transfer market, landing Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos on loan, Nicolas Pepe and William Saliba, and it seems they are not done just yet.
Read Arsenal’s verdict
Signing Coutinho is a big statement of intent. While he may not be the central defender who Arsenal fans have clamoured for, he is a real marquee signing and will add bags of quality to the squad.
Concerns over the team’s creative impetus have arisen in recent seasons following the decline of Mesut Ozil, but with attacking talents like Coutinho and Pepe supplementing Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emery could have a mouth-watering selection of forward players.
Coutinho is a proven player in the Premier League. He was exceptional for Liverpool over a number of years and displayed his credentials on the biggest stage, flourishing in European competitions.
The move to Barcelona has been a disaster for him, though, and he is in need of a switch to revitalise himself and rediscover his best form. The La Liga champions’ loss appears to be Arsenal’s gain, and if Ghazi’s claims are indeed correct, the recruitment team at the Emirates Stadium are pulling off a masterstroke.
