COUTINHO, NEW INTER “SIGNING”
On the tour to convince Strama.
The months at Espanyol have transformed the player.
Now in Indonesia to play for the future.
Milan – What if, the “green” signing for Inter is already in house? Philippe Coutinho has transformed after coming back from his loan at Espanyol and Stramaccioni cannot wait to see the talented Brazilian in action in this upcoming tour in Indonesia from May 21 to 28 to learn more about the 19 year-old playmaker who did very well during a few months in Spain.
Beginning and injuries Because Coutinho is an investment which now must pay off. Acquired from Vasco da Gama for 3.5 million euros, Cou arrived at Pinetina in 2010 and was immediately launched by Benitez. But the Brazilian soon suffered the hardships of a team that was on a decline in the league. That’s not all, due to a muscular injury, Coutinho had to miss the Club World Cup in December. Then Leo came on the Inter bench and for the “comeback”, he relied mostly on the senior players. The former Vasco player returned to the field for the final portion of the season and scored his first goal as an Inter player against Fiorentina.
World Cup and Spain After the Under-20 World Cup as a protagonist, he began another run to find space at the club which began the transfer market by focusing on younger player but then closed it with Forlan and Zarate. In January, both Inter and Cou understood that the best thing was to leave to gain experience elsewhere. Espanyol came forward to loan the Brazilian player in a deal which guaranteed that Cou will play at least 50% of all the games and it has paid off. In the 4-2-3-1 of Pochettino, he played as a left winger and showed off his repertoire of dribbling skills and accelerations. On March 11 in the 5-1 win against Rayo Vallecano, he scored a Messi like goal which became the top five goal in La Liga. Coutinho became a crowd favorite and also scored the next two games against Racing and Malaga. All without injuries also confirmed a physical maturation. 16 appearances in Liga, 14 of which as a starter, five goals with an average rating for a 7.
Indonesia For Cou – who has a contract until 2015 at 600 thousand euros a season – this upcoming tour in Indonesia has a special meaning. Despite many offers from Bologna who want him on loan, Valencia who put 10 useless million on the table, Inter are focusing strongly on the Brazilian who has the ideal characteristics for Strama’s style of play. Coutinho will be able to take advantage of the Europa League next season which requires Strama to a lot of rotations. Indonesia will be important.
Source: Gazzetta dello Sport
