Arsenal would prefer to sign Willian on a free transfer than get Coutinho on loan.
That is the news coming today from various sources, including John Cross of the Mirror, as you can see in his tweet below:
Arsenal were offered Philippe Coutinho. But are not pursuing that deal. Willian highly likely to sign for Arsenal but that means Coutinho won’t happen. They won’t do both.
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) August 5, 2020
Willian is in his thirties and while a good player, is nowhere near the level Coutinho reached at his Liverpool peak – but we suppose that illustrates his demise since his 2018 exit quite well.
Saying that, he’s reached double figures in every season and won two La Ligas and a Bundesliga in that time – it’s not all bad.
Of course, had he stayed at Liverpool, he could’ve become part of the legendary side Jurgen Klopp has built since – the one that secured the Champions League and the Premier League.
We’re sure he’d jump at the chance to return, but it’s just not going to happen, for various reasons.
We hope he finds a move in which his talents can be appreciated, but not in England – we don’t want him doing the business for one of our rivals, particularly.