It's that time of year again. Philippe Coutinho is being linked with a move to Arsenal. Rinse and repeat.
According to Spanish news outlet Sport, his current loan club Aston Villa may find it difficult to keep the Brazilian beyond the initial terms of his loan deal due to competing interest from both Tottenham and Arsenal in the Barcelona player.
But it's difficult to truly believe the idea that the Gunners would pursue a move for a player who, while excellent for Villa since returning to the Premier League, does not fit the profile of player Mikel Arteta will surely try and attract if a top-four finish is secured.
The Gunners will need to sign a midfielder in the summer to increase squad depth if they are successful in securing Champions League football ahead of next season.
But let's face it, he won't accept the idea of playing second fiddle wherever he goes and that would almost certainly be the case at Arsenal due to the number of excellent Martin Odegaard performances in recent months.
Coutinho has been linked to the club on several occasions in the past and the Gunners' interest in previous transfer windows may well have been more genuine but it is difficult to envisage the chances of him flourishing in a youthful, vibrant team. Arsenal have moved on from building a group of individuals with the ruthless dismissal of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang confirmation of that.
It seemed Arsenal were conducting their transfer business through a single agent in Kia Joorabchian, who was a focal point for the Gunners in the transfer windows between 2019 and 2020.
The well-renowned superagent was instrumental behind the Gunners signing David Luiz and Willian from Chelsea, with the latter going on to rank as one of the worst signings in the club's history, with the Brazilian managing just one goal across the entirety of the 2020/21 season. Cedric Soares' move to Arsenal was also facilitated by Joorabchian and Coutinho is another representative. You do the maths.
Another opportunity to finally sign him could yet present itself in the summer if he does not conclude a move to Villa but it is a deal that Arsenal must avoid due to the stunning form of Odegaard.
The Norway international has been crucial to Mikel Arteta’s side's improved build-up play this season, a key factor behind why the club can boast the third-highest xG in the league since December 17.
The inability to create chances at the start of the season was a critical problem for the Gunners, who failed to score in each of their opening three games.
However, since Odegaard’s £30m move to the club in August, Arteta’s side have become one of the most creative sides in the league and the Norwegian's creativity has been a key reason for the Gunners finding themselves in an increasingly healthy position to qualify for the Champions League ahead of next season.
And it is not just Odegaard’s creativity that makes him an untouchable player in Arteta’s starting XI but also his off-the-ball work and his ability to lead the team's press that makes him so important. This was highlighted in Arsenal’s weekend win over Leicester as the midfielder was awarded man of the match and finished as the Gunners' top performer in a number of categories.
Coutinho would not provide the same intensity off the ball and increasingly it feels as if he would not be able to run games in the same manner as Odegaard, who is fast becoming one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Arsenal might have been tempted before but a move for Coutinho makes little to no sense in the latest phase of Arteta's rebuild.
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