Arsenal: 3 reasons to sign Philippe Coutinho on loan

Arsenal are being linked with a loan move for Philippe Coutinho. Here are three reasons why the Gunners should make the move this summer.

As the summer transfer window looms and Arsenal’s rebuild under Mikel Arteta really begins to take shape in what will be his first summer as head coach, one name keeps reappearing as a reported target: on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder, Philippe Coutinho. This week, Le10Sport reports that the Gunners are set to step up their efforts to sign the Brazilian, likely on another season-long loan deal.

Here are three reasons why such a transfer might be a smart move.

3. He is not that expensive

I have written extensively about why Arsenal should plan for the long-term under Arteta, gearing all of their investments to a two or three-year-plus impact. Of course, signing Coutinho on a year-long loan is not a long-term investment. Usually, I would find myself rallying against this type of move, but as I thought about it more carefully, there are some reasons in favour.

It all starts with money. In reality, Coutinho would not be that expensive. His reported £250,000-per-week wages sound a lot, but they total just a £13 million investment across the year, and that is without Barcelona subsidising the wages at all, which, as Arsenal have done with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, is fairly common when major players move on loan.

Moreover, with the potential sales that the club can make this summer, there will be room in the wage bill. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang alone would cover for the majority of Coutinho’s wage. Throw in Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Dani Ceballos, Mkhitaryan, Mohamed Elneny and other potential sales and it is easy to see how Arsenal can easily clear a good deal of room in the wage budget.