Aston Villa has enjoyed a phenomenal resurgence under Unai Emery, who has triumphed in 13 of his 22 Premier League games at the helm, propelling his new club to the cusp of European football.

The Spaniard has allowed players like Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey, and Tyrone Mings to flourish, finding some of the best form of their careers.

However, despite many areas of improvement, one player who has drastically underperformed for a considerable period is Philippe Coutinho.

How much has Philippe Coutinho cost Aston Villa?

The Brazilian, who is currently the club’s third best-paid player on £125k-per-week, has been hugely underwhelming and draining the club whilst offering very little output in return.

The 30-year-old originally joined the Midlands outfit in January 2022, signing on loan under Steven Gerrard for the remainder of the season.

The deal generated massive excitement and anticipation, which skyrocketed when he netted on his debut against Manchester United in a 2-2 draw at Villa Park.

He would go on to register eight contributions in 19 league outings and recorded the second-highest rating (6.96) of any Villa player, as per WhoScored, to support his formidable reputation

As a result of these impressive performances, the former Liverpool star was signed at the end of the campaign on a permanent deal for £17m on a four-year contract.

Then-manager Gerrard was thrilled with the deal and said: “I think it's fantastic for everyone connected with the club. You've seen the reaction from the supporters, it's very positive, they've seen him over the last five or six months play ever so well.

"He's still got loads left in him, in our opinion. To have him here full time and settled, I think he'll come again and go up another level.”

Although, since this announcement, the playmaker’s time in England has unravelled into disaster with the total cost of a move set to cost in the region of £23.5m once you consider his wages for this term.

Gerrard received the sack earlier in the campaign when Villa was in touching distance of the relegation zone, and despite the upturn of results under Emery, Coutinho has been unable to refind his feet. The technician has only scored once and produced no assists in 20 Premier League appearances.

Despite his mercurial brilliance, the attacker dismally resides in the bottom 28% for progressive carries per 90 and the lowest 43% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.

It is a damning indictment of a player who lacks influence, involvement, and quality.

Retired Villa striker Dwight Yorke is baffled by his decline, saying: “It's mind-boggling how world-class players lose their way totally like he has.

“Coutinho is not half the player he was, that move to Barcelona was sensational and he was sensational at Liverpool. He became a journeyman, went to Bayern on loan, and then to Aston Villa before moving permanently. It's a mystery how it happened.”

It would make sense for NSWE and co to try and move Coutinho on in the summer as performing consistently in English seems beyond him.