MDP Live - Philippe Coutinho will finally return to enliven the Premier League after officially joining Aston Villa on credit from Barcelona.
The announcement of the agreement between Aston Villa and Barcelona on the loan of Coutinho until the end of the 2021/22 season has been made since Friday (7/1/2022) last week.
Coutinho finally flew to Birmingham on Tuesday (1/11/2022) and was officially introduced to the public as a new Aston Villa player on Wednesday (12/1/2022) early morning. Coutinho will use the number 23 shirt.
Aston Villa have announced that they have a permanent purchase option when Coutinho's loan period ends.
This is Coutinho's second period playing in the Premier League after previously playing for Liverpool. Coutinho is also happy that he can finally return to England.
“It's a pleasure to be here; This is a great club," Coutinho said.
"I spoke a lot with the manager, with Stevie, and he told me about the club and its ambitions. I'm very happy to be here and I want to enjoy my football."
Furthermore, Coutinho did not deny that he chose Aston Villa because of the presence of Steven Gerrard as manager. The two of them were teammates at Liverpool.
"I've known Stevie for a long time. I played with him and I learned a lot from him," Coutinho said.
"He's someone I really admire. I hope to do my best here. For sure, I will work hard, and I hope that together we can do a good job.”