Arsenal: 3 reasons Philippe Coutinho is just another Mesut Ozil

Arsenal continues to be linked with Philippe Coutinho, but it continues to be a bad, and ever-worsening, idea. Here are three reasons he’s just another Ozil.

This is the part of the article—and so early—where I feel remorse that I have to speak poorly of Mesut Ozil again. Given how much he has done for the world, let alone the club, he remains one of the few Arsenal players who I actually regret to criticize, even though it’s strictly about his performances on the pitch. That said, Philippe Coutinho is at stake, so what must be done, must be done.

Recent reports have indicated that if the Gunners want to land Philippe Coutinho on a loan, they are going to have to fork up £9m just for that, and Barcelona will be slapping on an obligatory purchase clause of £63m. So we’d essentially just be buying Coutinho for £72m.

Which is such a stupid, worthless, pointless, ridiculous, horrid, awful, no-good, brainless, spineless move that it makes me sick. But not sick enough to get a thesaurus to find more adjectives for stupid. Futile. Ill-advised.

Arsenal must avoid Philippe Coutinho for 3 parallel reasons

One of the biggest problems Arsenal have faced in recent years is the handcuff that Mesut Ozil has provided them, both on and off the pitch, financially and based on his performances. So why would we be in a hurry to make the same mistake again?

Here are three reasons why Coutinho would just be another Mesut Ozil—in a bad way.

3. Cost!

Duh! We’re spending all that money on the guy—which wouldn’t technically be a club record, even though all together, it would be—and then locking into his massive wage package for years. Doing the same thing we did with Ozil and how many times have we been stuck financially because Ozil’s wage package is too much to navigate around.

Hell, it cost us Aaron Ramsey. So who will Coutinho cost us?

It’s not a sensible investment. It’s not a help for the future. It’s a glitzy, glamor signing that we very specifically don’t need.

On to No. 2.