Former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho returned to the Premier League one year ago today after signing for an Aston Villa side then managed by Steven Gerrard.
It was the second time that the Brazilian playmaker's ill-fated stay at Barcelona had ended temporarily following a loan switch to Bayern Munich. But, unlike with Munich, his move to the Midlands would later become permanent, thus closing the chapter on his stay in Catalonia that started when he moved from Liverpool for an eye-watering £142m fee that remains the third largest in football history.
Coutinho would make 106 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 26 goals and winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey twice each, but his time with Lionel Messi and Co was plagued by injury and loss of form.
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His woes saw him loaned to Bayern Munich during the 2019-20 season and it looked like he had rediscovered his mojo in Bavaria. He helped Bayern win a continental treble and scored twice against his parent club in a remarkable Champions League quarter-final tie that saw Barca humiliated 8-2.
Coutinho returned to Spain but he was shipped back out on loan 12 months ago with Gerrard calling upon his former Reds team-mate to inject creativity into his Villa side as he looked to steer them up the table.
His time in Birmingham couldn't have got off to a better start as he reminded Manchester United fans why he was a thorn in their side during his Liverpool career. An inspired Coutinho marked his debut with a goal and an assist as Villa came from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with Ralf Rangnick's Red Devils.
However, such moments in the claret and blue have, so far, been minimal, with injuries, once again, hampering his progression. The fact that Gerrard, the man who brought him to Villa, first on loan and then for a permanent £17m fee, was sacked in October after just 11 months in charge would have not helped either.
The Anfield great has since been replaced by Unai Emery and, up until Sunday's embarrassing FA Cup home loss to Stevenage, Coutinho had been forced to settle for appearances off the bench under the former Arsenal manager. The Brazil international was given just 3/10 by our sister title Birmingham Live for his performance against the League Two outfit.
They wrote: "Looked lively but his rustiness was on show when he shanked two efforts disgustingly high and wide after chopping inside on each occasion, looking for that top corner. A change of boots at half-time didn’t help matters with Coutinho ballooning one into the Holte End moments after the break. Didn’t look too impressed when he number was called and looked disappointed as he slumped back in the chair on the substitutes’ bench. A couple of nice flicks and kept chopping inside to look for that pearler into the top corner but didn’t impress here, sadly."
As the January window rolled in, Coutinho was forced to address claims that he was pushing for a move away from Villa Park. "In the last few days I've seen a lot of news with my name," he wrote in an Instagram post. "The problem is now that some lies have started, and I'm here to clarify.
"Never, and at any moment, [have I] had any kind of conversation asking to leave the club, because I'm happy here and my family [are] too. "My only focus now that I've recovered from injury is to work at the maximum every day, to play [at] a high level, and help the club and my team-mates to achieve our goals."
It's a far cry from the days when Coutinho's spellbinding performances for Liverpool saw him hailed by his adoring supporters as the 'Little Magician'. But their love turned to ire after he eventually forced through his dream move to Barcelona.
Before that, Jurgen Klopp offered the player some advice, which has since proved to be sage.
"Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour," said the Reds boss. "Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more."
The Reds went on to fulfil their potential under Klopp, winning every major trophy in domestic, European and World club football. But for Coutinho, it remains a case of what could've been after an at times jaw-dropping stint in L4.
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