Philippe Coutinho comments whittle down Arsenal targets to select few including Darwin Nunez

There were few Arsenal transfer targets that split the fan base like Philippe Coutinho. Known for his world-class displays in the Premier League in a Liverpool shirt, his move to Barcelona significant lowered his stock.

To think at the age of 29 he is now trying to restart his career in the English top-flight at Aston Villa represents the right decision made by Arsenal. That said, the Brazilian has come back fighting strong and has four goals and three assists in his nine Premier League games so far.

Arsenal face Villa this Saturday and Coutinho will represent the toughest opponent in Steven Gerrard’s team. The Birmingham-based side have come a long way since the comfortable 3-1 loss to the Gunners at the Emirates last year.

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Ahead of the match, Mikel Arteta was questioned on Coutinho and his answer perhaps provided greater context to the view of what the summer transfer window might hold. Asked whether Coutinho was considered, the Spaniard said that the side went down an alternative route.

“We looked at many different players with qualities that he obviously had and, in the end, we went with a different option,” he said.

Then 22-year-old Martin Odegaard was signed in the summer and the Norwegian has been an integral part of the Arsenal team. The key difference between the pair is the age profile. This is becoming a trend at Arsenal and when Arteta was last asked about the characteristics he would look for in a striker, the theme continued.

"He has to have a certain age, a certain level of experience, and he has to be able to come here and play under the pressure of being at Arsenal,” Arteta explained in an interview with Sky Sports.

Age is clearly very important to what Arteta is building at the club. When