Philippe Coutinho, the Brazilian forward, has made a move to Qatari team Al Duhail on a season-long loan from Aston Villa. After initially impressing during his loan stint from Barcelona last year, Coutinho has fallen out of favor at the Premier League club.
Last season, the 31-year-old made a permanent transfer worth £17 million to Villa but only managed to score one goal and made just two substitute appearances this season. In his last appearance for Villa, a 4-0 victory against Everton in August, Coutinho suffered a hamstring injury and was left close to tears. Despite the Premier League transfer window closing, he was still able to join Al Duhail due to the Qatari deadline being on September 18th.
“Aston Villa can confirm that Philippe Coutinho has completed a season-long loan move to Al Duhail. The Brazilian initially joined Villa on loan in January 2022 and immediately made an impact, scoring on his debut against Manchester United,” stated the club.
“Coutinho’s impressive performances led to a permanent transfer to Villa Park from Barcelona, where he has made 43 appearances and scored six goals.”
Coutinho was a key player for Liverpool from 2013 to 2018, which prompted Barcelona to acquire his services for over £100 million in 2018. Al Duhail is the reigning Qatari champion, having won the Qatar Stars League last season.
