Arsenal told to sign £33m Odegaard upgrade in the summer
Glen Johnson thinks Philippe Coutinho would be “the best number ten” Arsenal have got if they signed him in the summer transfer window.
The Brazilian has been in fine form since arriving on loan at Aston Villa in January with Steven Gerrard tempting him to swap the Camp Nou for Villa Park.
Coutinho has contributed four goals and three assists in ten Premier League appearances but couldn’t help Villa as they lost 1-0 to Arsenal on Saturday.
Winners Arsenal do not ‘lack the bollocks’ like Everton…
There were reports over the weekend that the Gunners were ‘studying the possibility’ of buying Coutinho in the summer and would be willing to pay the £33m demanded by Barcelona in their loan agreement with Aston Villa.
And Johnson thinks it would be a great move for Arsenal despite Martin Odegaard’s brilliant form this season in that position.
“If Arsenal got the chance to sign him then they need to sign him,” Johnson told BettingOdds.
“He would be the best number ten they’ve got without a shadow of a doubt. I think the move is a possibility if Arsenal get fourth. I should be Coutinho’s agent as I’ll never stop singing his praises.
“When this player enjoys his football then he’s got all sorts in his locker. He’s come to the hardest league in the world, into a team that was struggling and he’s running the show.”
Good morning to everyone, especially Gooners ☺️ pic.twitter.com/dRg80XWiR7
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 21, 2022
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta hailed a big three points after Arsenal held on for a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at the weekend.
The result saw the Gunners bounce back from defeat by Liverpool in midweek and move four points clear of Manchester United with a game in hand in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
Arteta had complained about the scheduling, with Arsenal having to play at lunchtime having hosted Liverpool on Wednesday evening, and he said: “It was a big win.
“After the defeat against Liverpool we wanted to come here and play well first, which we did, and get the three points because we want to keep the momentum going. I think the team showed today a lot of personality to come and play the way we played. We dominated the game.”
