PHILIPPE COUTINHO HAS join Aston Villa from Barcelona on loan for the rest of the season.
Villa have the option to buy the Brazil international who is now expected to travel to Birmingham to complete the formalities of his move.
The midfielder will link up with Villa boss Steven Gerrard, who he played with at Liverpool.
A statement read: “Aston Villa and Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park.
“The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.”
Welcome, Philippe Coutinho! 🙌
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 7, 2022
Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park. 🇧🇷
Barcelona confirmed Villa will pay part of Coutinho’s wages as he returns to the Premier League after four years.
He joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018 in a deal worth £146million (€160m) but has struggled at the Nou Camp and spent 2019-20 on loan at Bayern Munich.
Despite helping Barca win LaLiga in 2018 and 2019 he never found the form he displayed in the Premier League with Liverpool.
He becomes Gerrard’s first signing at Villa since the boss joined from Rangers in November.
“He’s won two league titles at Barcelona, two Copa del Reys,” Gerrard said on Thursday.
“If you go and have a look at his Wiki page you’ll see a serial winner wherever he goes.
He’s won 63 caps for Brazil, played for Barcelona and was incredible at Liverpool.
“So I can understand why he’s linked to a lot of football clubs. I can understand why a lot of supporters up and down the country are speaking about him.
“I don’t think you get a nickname of ‘The Magician’ if you’re not a special footballer.”
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#4 is madness (if Ive read it right), a team that doesnt get to the Ulster final (eg Armagh lets say) will have a knock out game against (randomly) either a Dublin/Kerry etc or a Clare/Westmeath.. The provincial championships are too unbalanced to be the basis of any seeding
A definite no on the first one. The others might be interesting, though unlikely to see every club introduce an underage hurling team.
@Ian Cunningham: Me thinks number one a great idea. Watching underage players now when they get onto a divisional never mind county panel, think they don’t have to show up for club games. Club ought to always come first for players, unfortunately though, there’s no money for the association incoming from club games, it’s inter county that generates that, alas this motion be turned down
@Jed Ward: Cork have enough injury concerns without having to worry about fellas playing meaningless RedFM League matches. If it was county championship matches maybe. That’s what the split season is for.
@Jed Ward: . The demands on inter county players at both underage and senior level are huge. Younger inter county players between the ages of 19 and 22 have in many cases the very significant additional demands of university competitions to cope with. A balance has to be struck. These huge demands are leading to soft tissue injuries. Additional demands being placed on this group of players are highly questionable.
@Richard Ford: as you say “the demands” on amateur players. There is actually no need to elaborate on this. The top brass don’t give a fiddle about “the demands” on players, players are just a commodity for their chunky pay packets and Croke Park
Would love to see football format returned to lose a game and you’re out of provincial championship. Four province winners go to all Ireland semi final and winners of that game onto final. Then again, it’s all about the money, so not a hope of ever seeing that format again in either code
@Jed Ward: given the commitment and training that players put in these days, you can’t have fellas knocked out after one game.
@Jed Ward: Catch yourself on. That format is outdated and way past its sell by date.
@Richard Ford: all about the money money money,
@Ian it’s taking to absolute Michael out of players who are amateur with all the training and commitment they put in. Again it’s all about the money money money. The Grab All Airgead association.
@Jed Ward: OK, you’re one of them. A GAA hater, who knows nothing about the GAA, but has a smart nickname.
@Ian Cunningham: 100% correct there Ian. Actually I’m an ex county player, now coaching an underage level and vice chairman with my juvenile club.
@Jed Ward: what a crock of … .