Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho tipped as perfect signings for Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard makes January transfer window vow

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been urged to target a current Liverpool star and former Reds teammate, with the boss vowing to only make big signings in the January transfer window.

Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho have been backed as perfect signings for the West Midlands club as Anfield legend Gerrard looks to take his Villans side to the next level.

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Villa have spent close to £330million since returning to the Premier League in 2019 and Gerrard is eager to make his mark on the squad, although has said he will spend wisely.

The club splashed out on £87m in the summer on Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings after selling Jack Grealish for a British record £100m to Man City – but the ambitious club remains eager to improve.

“The important thing is we’ll only make signings if we feel they’re the right ones for the team and for the club to move us forward and to improve us,” Gerrard said, ahead on Sunday’s Premier League trip to Brentford.

“We won’t make them for the sake of it just to add volume. We are looking and assessing certain players for certain positions in the squad. I won’t give too much away because my phone will go on fire and start smoking with agents, which I don’t want.

“Myself, Christian Purslow [chief executive] and Johan Lange [sporting director] have spoken every day in the past week, more so because I’ve had a lot of free time because of COVID.

“We’ve had some good, positive meetings and we have identified certain individuals we’d like to bring in. If we can make that happen in this window, great. If not, it might be a case of being patient and waiting until the summer.”

Whatever those plans are, Gerrard has been told to make another splash by trying to get two players who share his ties with boyhood club Liverpool to join him at Villa Park.

Coutinho has been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League as his disappointing Barcelona career looks to be coming to an end, with his contract up at the end of the season.

Tottenham have been linked with an interest in landing the Brazilian on a free transfer in the summer, but Arsenal and Everton are also reportedly keen and could look to snap him up in January for a cut-price fee, with Barca ready to accept a huge loss on a player they paid £142m to sign in 2018.

But Gerrard has been told Firmino would also make a huge impact within his Villa team, with talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino claiming a transfer could be possible following his fall down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp.

“It’s only my gut feeling – I think they [Aston Villa] will go for one big Liverpool player, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Firmino left and went to Villa,” said the former Villa striker and boyhood Liverpool fan on the Weekend Sports Breakfast.

“Managers love going back to clubs they’ve worked with and Danny Ings has not worked for Villa, in my opinion. I’m surprised because I really like Danny, I think he’s a terrific player, but I don’t feel he’s worked out.

“Ollie Watkins needs a Firmino-type player to get the best out of him, and I think Gerrard is going to look for that type of player.

“When Gerrard is talking about exciting the Villa fans, they’re going big.

“I know people will be saying, ‘hang on, Klopp and Liverpool would never let him go’, but Firmino has been a sub way too often. [Diogo] Jota has taken his place at Liverpool and he might know there’s a possibility of getting someone.

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“I don’t necessarily mean it’s going to be Firmino, but I think it’s going to be that type of signing.”

On Coutinho, Cascarino added: “There’s talk that Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton are interested in him, but Gerrard knows Coutinho.

“He might think he knows how to get the best out of him.

“I’m talking that level of transfer. A player at the very top end who has played for the biggest clubs, and been successful. I think that’s where Gerrard’s coming from. 

“If he’s talking about exciting the Villa fans, he’s not talking about someone coming out of the Championship or maybe a mid-table Premier League team to come to the club.”

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By: Joe Moore
Title: Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho tipped as perfect signings for Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard makes January transfer window vow
Sourced From: talksport.com/football/1011864/liverpool-firmino-coutinho-aston-villa-gerrard-january-transfer-window/
Published Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2022 12:00:50 +0000