By Kevin Campbell

14th Dec, 2022 | 2:46pm

Joao Felix could replace Aston Villa big name with agent 'pushing' for January deal - pundit

Kevin Campbell has suggested Joao Felix could replace floundering Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho if a January deal can be struck.

The former Arsenal striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 23-year-old has “enhanced his reputation” with his performances at the World Cup for Portugal.

According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein (12 December), Mendes is pushing Aston Villa as an option for Felix after brokering the deal to bring Unai Emery to the club last month – although the player is not too enthusiastic about moving to Birmingham.

The report claims the former Benfica could even be available on a loan basis despite his sizeable salary.

Felix has failed to live up to expectations at Atletico Madrid, notching 33 goals and 18 assists since joining for a reported fee of almost £113million in 2019.

Meanwhile, Coutinho has failed to score or assist since joining Aston Villa this term – with the Midlands club sitting 12th in the Premier League.

Campbell told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “Unai Emery definitely knows a lot about the player.

“Felix is going to be a sought-after commodity, isn’t he? He didn’t do himself any harm with his performances at the World Cup.

“He’s probably enhanced that reputation after things haven’t quite worked for him at Atletico Madrid.

“Aston Villa are definitely a club that should be a lot further up the table than they are, and getting someone like Felix will make a huge difference.

“You can see him in that Philippe Coutinho role. He’s someone who can create and score.

“But Villa are going to face a lot of competition from other clubs.”

In other news, Gabby Agbonlahor issues bold Ollie Watkins claim as Aston Villa blow confirmed.