Felipe Coutinho returned to the Premier League on loan from Barcelona to Aston Villa in January and was initially stunning with goals and assists, but it all seems to have been a flash in the pan. The 29-year-old Brazilian international has been in a slump in his last five games, to the point of disappearing from the field with neither a goal nor an assist. Aston Villa's leader Sherratt may have given up on signing the former Liverpool teammate this summer.
Coutinho scored four goals in his first eight games for Aston Villa, including a shot on his debut into the Manchester United goal. However, his form has plummeted of late, with a dismal performance against Leicester City in which he touched the ball just 24 times, took no shots on goal, didn't even create a threatening pass, and lost possession with eight turnovers, despite playing the full 79 minutes.
Originally Aston Villa intended to buy him out this summer, but Barcelona's €40 million transfer fee deterred Villa. Not to mention the fact that Coutinho is now back to square one, Villa naturally won't consider buying him out again, and it is expected that Coutinho will return to Barcelona for another awkward season next season.
In fact, Coutinho's dip in form is just a microcosm of Villa's overall poor performance. The team recently suffered four consecutive defeats in the Premier League, and it was not until the last round of 0-0 draw with Leicester City that the decline was halted. Although the leader Sherratt had led the team to rebound after taking over the coaching, but ultimately could not be sustained, and Coutinho's fate is the same as the same, are high start and low departure.
