Philippe Coutinho praises Aston Villa players and staff
Philippe Coutinho reckons the warm welcome he received from Villa’s players and staff has helped reignite his career in the Premier League.
Coutinho has scored four goals in 10 appearances since arriving on loan in January from Barcelona, a club where he has struggled to live up to his £142million transfer fee after joining from Liverpool four years ago.
Villa have the option to sign him for £33m this summer though any deal will depend on the 29-year-old agreeing to a significant salary cut.
For now the focus for both player and club is on performances. Speaking while away on international duty with Brazil, Coutinho said: “The Premier League is a league I know and I feel good playing. In addition, I was very well received by everyone and this helped a lot.
“Me and Steven Gerrard had a conversation that made me feel very comfortable and motivated. He talked about the Villa project, the goals, what he expected of me and it was something I was looking for too. I believe we made a good decision and things are going well.”
