---
title: "Aston Villa: Philippe Coutinho sale would aid squad restructure"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-premier-league-philippe-coutinho-unai-emery-brazil-transfer-news-updates/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Henry Jackson"
section: "Aston Villa News"
published: "2023-01-24T19:15:00Z"
modified: "2023-01-24T19:15:00Z"
---

# Aston Villa: Philippe Coutinho sale would aid squad restructure

**[Aston Villa](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-news/) could be looking to get out-of-favour midfielder Philippe Coutinho off their wage bill, according to an update from transfer expert Dean Jones.**

### The Lowdown: Coutinho struggling for minutes

With each passing week, the more Coutinho’s spell at Villa Park has to be considered a disappointing one, having joined the club this time last year.

The Brazilian is struggling for playing time under Unai Emery and he has only started [six](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/80767/Show/Philippe-Coutinho) games in the [Premier League](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league-news/) all season, with only [156](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/philippe-coutinho/leistungsdatentrainer/spieler/80444) minutes in total coming for the new manager.

Coutinho has been [linked](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-news/aston-villa-premier-league-philippe-coutinho-unai-emery-transfers-news-updates/) with a January exit, namely a move to Brazilian outfit [Corinthians](https://www.radaresportes.ig.com.br/noticia/65569/clubes/philippe-coutinho-e-mais-dois-corinthians-age-nos-bastidores-para-reforcar-elenco-de-fernando-lazaro-24012023?dv=473a46210bde04a9), and it is a rumour that is refusing to go away.

### The Latest: January exit possible

Speaking to [*Give Me Sport*](https://www.givemesport.com/88107852-aston-villa-philippe-coutinho-future-unai-emery-premier-league-transfer-rumours-villa-park), Jones claimed that Villa would indeed be happy to sell the 30-year-old this month, suggesting a winter exit would aid new additions:

> “He’s just not able to prove himself. With Coutinho, I think that if you can get him off the wage bill, it will give you more scope to reframe the squad in the way the new manager wants to.”

[Aston Villa latest news!](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-news-5/)

### The Verdict: Right time to sell

Coutinho made such a promising start to life at Villa, [scoring](https://talksport.com/football/1021655/philippe-coutinho-goal-aston-villa-debut-liverpool-draw-man-utd/) on his debut against Manchester United, but things have unravelled for him as time has gone on.

\[freshpress-quiz id=“418895″\]

He simply doesn’t look like the same player who once wowed at Liverpool  – Roberto Firmino has [called](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/coutinho-has-magical-powers---firmino-heaps-praise-upon-phenomenal-brazil-team-mate/g0yh5e5v41dm1hty0vp6wj909) him ‘magical’ in the past – and just [five goals and three assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/philippe-coutinho/alletore/spieler/80444) in 38 appearances is a testament to that.

The fact that Coutinho is earning an eye-watering [£125,000](https://www.spotrac.com/epl/aston-villa-fc/philippe-coutinho-22833/) per week makes his poor form even harder to stomach, so getting that money off Villa’s wage bill feels like a complete no-brainer.

He is a player who peaked a while ago now, and once he does move on from Villa, the club will have to see his signing as an expensive gamble that backfired.