Philippe Coutinho, 31, has signed for Qatar’s Al Duhail.
Al Duhail announced the signing of Brazilian star Coutinho on their website on Monday (June 9). We have signed the 1992-born Brazilian from Aston Villa on a season-long loan as part of our efforts to strengthen our first-team squad. Coutinho signed the transfer agreement in front of the club’s vice chairman,” the official statement read.먹튀검증
“Coutinho is regarded as one of the outstanding players who have previously distinguished themselves in their professional careers. The addition of Coutinho will be a great asset for us ahead of the Asian Champions League qualifiers. He has played for Vasco da Gama, Inter Milan, Espanyol, Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Aston Villa.”
Coutinho joined Liverpool from Inter Milan in the summer of 2013. He exploded with potential at Liverpool, scoring 54 goals and providing 45 assists in 201 official appearances with his sharp kicks and accurate shooting. This earned him an offer from Barcelona and a €135 million ($193 million) transfer.
135 million euros is a lot of money. It ranks third on the all-time transfer list. First place goes to Neymar (Barcelona to PSG) for €220 million, second to Kylian Mbappe (AS Monaco to PSG) for €180 million, and third to Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele (Dortmund to Barcelona) for €135 million. Barcelona had high hopes for Coutinho. They wanted him to provide a big boost to their attack and midfield.
In his debut season, Coutinho performed well with 10 goals and six assists in 22 official games, helping the club win the Spanish Primera Liga and Copa del Rey. But then came the problems. Coutinho was plagued by frequent injuries and put in disappointing performances. A loan move to Bayern Munich followed, but nothing seemed to change.
Coutinho underperformed with three goals and two assists in 14 games in 2020-21 and two goals in 16 games in 2021-22, and eventually completed his move to Villa in the winter transfer window on a loan with an outright transfer clause. The full transfer fee was set at €38.6 million. His weekly wages were set at £400,000 ($666,000) with Villa contributing £120,000 ($200,000).
On being presented with the Villa shirt, Coutinho said: “I’m happy to come to Villa. It’s a great club. I had a lot of conversations with Steven Gerrard and he told me about his and the club’s ambitions. I’m very happy to be here and I want to enjoy myself and play football.”
“I’ve known Gerrard for a long time. I played with him as a player and learned a lot from him, and he is someone I respect. I will do my best at Villa and I hope we can achieve great things together.”
Coutinho was reunited with Gerrard and went on to play in the Premier League (PL) with great confidence. Coutinho had an incredible season in the PL, producing five goals and three assists. He worked well with his teammates and added strength to the attack.
Satisfied, Villa pushed for Coutinho’s full signing and succeeded in reducing his fee after negotiations. The deal was finalized for 20 million euros (approximately 285 million won), as opposed to the initial agreement. Coutinho’s weekly wages were also significantly reduced. According to salary statistics outlet Salary Sports, it was £125,000 (about $200 million).
One sparkling season. Coutinho fell out of contention and suffered a hamstring injury in November, and after Unai Emery’s arrival, he fell out of favor and has been out of the squad since February. A failed comeback.
Coutinho, whose contract with Villa runs until 2026, has opted for the Middle East. Not to Saudi Arabia, where there has been a recent rush, but to Qatar. Al Duhail are a powerhouse, having won eight Star League titles, four Qatar Cups, two Emirates Cups, two Sheikh Jassim Cups, and one Qatar Stars Cup. The club was previously represented by Nam Tae-hee and is currently represented by Kim Moon-hwan.
Al Duhail will compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL) in the 2023-24 season. They are drawn in Group E with Persepolis (Iran), Istiklol (Tajikistan), and Al Nasr (Saudi Arabia). Al Nasr are home to Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Emmrecht Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, Otavio and Alex Telles, among others.
According to European transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, the deal is a one-year loan and Al Duhail will pay 100% of his weekly wages. He will also wear the number 9 shirt.