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Coutinho's return was warmly welcomed by Vasco fans. |
On July 7, Aston Villa announced Coutinho's departure on the club's website. The deal marks Coutinho's return to his homeland on a permanent transfer after more than a decade playing in Europe.
The Brazilian midfielder joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, before the English club signed him permanently in the summer of the same year for a fee of £17m. The move was prompted by Coutinho's close relationship with manager Steven Gerrard, who was his team-mate at Liverpool.
In the 2021/22 season, Coutinho scored 5 goals and had 3 assists in 19 Premier League matches, bringing hope to recreate his previous peak form at Liverpool. However, after Gerrard was fired by Villa, Coutinho "fell out of favor" under new coach Unai Emery.
Coutinho made just two appearances in the 2022/23 season before being loaned out to Al-Duhail SC in Qatar in September 2023. After his loan spell with Al-Duhail ended, Coutinho returned to Brazil in the summer of 2024, joining Vasco da Gama on loan, where he scored two goals and provided two assists in 22 appearances in the Brazilian Serie A.
This performance did not convince Vasco da Gama to sign a permanent deal, although Villa only offered 3 million euros for the former Barcelona star. At one point, the Villa Park team considered the possibility of terminating the contract with the Brazilian midfielder early.
However, the cost of the contract compensation and many other factors caused the English club to delay everything. It was not until early July that Aston Villa and Vasco da Gama reached an agreement for Coutinho. The English club will receive a relatively symbolic transfer fee (less than 500,000 pounds) from Vasco da Gama, but the burden of the wage bill will be reduced.
At 33, Coutinho was once considered one of the best attacking midfielders in the world during his peak period at Liverpool (2013-2018). However, his record £142 million transfer to Barcelona in January 2018 marked a turning point in Coutinho's career. Since then, the Brazilian midfielder has declined and has not been able to regain his peak form.
Source: https://znews.vn/coutinho-ket-thuc-con-ac-mong-tai-chau-au-post1566932.html
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