Arsenal: 3 reasons Philippe Coutinho is just another Mesut Ozil

1. Is he what we need?

Correct answer: No! He’s absolutely not what we need. In fact, I’d say he’s the complete opposite of what we need.

Here’s the thing—Coutinho is talented. He’s a superb creator. But he’s also, like Ozil, a luxury player. He isn’t going to defend. He isn’t going to cover a lot of ground. He is in the side for one reason—to create and score goals. The exact same reason why Mesut Ozil was purchased and why he has since failed.

The big reason why Ozil failed at Arsenal is because we didn’t have the kind of club that supported such a luxury player. We would have needed an elite and fortified attack and midfield and to be at a Liverpool-level to match what Ozil had at Real Madrid and we just didn’t have that.

We don’t have that now either. So what, are we hoping that Coutinho can be something that he’s not, or are we hoping that we can build the team around him in time to not completely lose his interest?

It just doesn’t make sense, and it never has.