Arsenal have been touted as a possible destination for Philippe Coutinho this summer as he looks to secure a move away from Barcelona and the ex-Gunners doyen Arsene Wenger had voiced his thoughts about the former Liverpool star during his tenure as Arsenal boss.
The Brazilian attacker is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga champions are highly unlikely to extend the deal or sign him on a permanent basis.
He is seemingly also viewed as a loose appendage at Barca having struggled to make a meaningful impact since his January 2018 move from Liverpool and Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, has claimed his client would like a return to the Premier League with Arsenal appearing to be the only club requiring a player of his attributes that are willing to consider him.
The situation is no doubt a frustrating for Coutinho to be in after he having agitated for a move to Barcelona from Liverpool for so long while the Catalan giants need to get him off their wage bill despite spending up to £145m on him just two-and-a-half years ago.
Coutinho had forced through that move to the Nou Camp from Anfield, in the process losing plenty of support on Merseyside for how he wrangled the deal and Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger, despite not having said much about Coutinho on record, censured the Brazilian for the way he went about the transfer.
The Gunners found themselves in a similar position to Liverpool around the same time in regards to their own players as both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez were keen to depart the Emirates Stadium in January 2018, the same month that Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona and Wenger was asked then about the difference in how the duo had gone about their moves in comparison to Coutinho, who handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2017.
Wenger revealed that he was pleased at how Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez had not disrupted the dressing room in the way Coutinho did.
He said: “I am very happy about that. It’s important you have a serene atmosphere inside and clarity about your commitment.
“It’s important the players aren’t half in and half out and they are completely in.”