Philippe Coutinho has played 598 minutes for Aston Villa, in which time he has scored four goals and set up three more. Victory at Leeds on Thursday meant Villa have won three league games in a row for the first time since the beginning of last season. There is a real sense of momentum there now and it is not just about results. Coutinho, quite aside from his direct contribution, is a player of stature, the sort of figure whose very presence can persuade fans, even other players, that a club is going places. Which inevitably prompts the question: what is he doing at Villa?
It’s probably largely an economic question. As the rest of European football retrenches because of the economic impact of the pandemic, the Premier League’s relentless expansion goes on. The English middle class can afford players who are out of range to all but a tiny handful abroad.
