Why Arsenal and Tottenham both snubbed Philippe Coutinho loan transfer

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Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly both snubbed the loan transfer of Philippe Coutinho this summer due to Barcelona including a loan fee that was deemed too high.

According to the Daily Mirror, the Catalan giants were commanding as much as a £30million fee just to take Coutinho for a single season.

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The Brazil international would likely have then cost an extra £10m on top of that in wages, with a £40m investment in an out-of-form player for just one season certainly looking too big a risk.

Coutinho shone in his first spell in the Premier League with Liverpool, but has gone badly downhill in his time as a Barcelona player.

Still, considering how much Barca invested in the 27-year-old, it’s not surprising that they’d want to make a decent amount from letting him go.

Philippe Coutinho could have sealed a transfer to Arsenal or Tottenham

Unfortunately, however, it’s cost him a return to England, in what could have been a fine move had it worked out for either Arsenal or Spurs.

The Gunners in particular could have done with another attacking midfield player, with Mesut Ozil far from at his best for some time now, while Alex Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey both left in the summer.

Tottenham could also have done with Coutinho amid doubts over Christian Eriksen’s future, with the Danish playmaker in the final year of his THFC contract.

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