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I want to win many titles with Bayern- Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho says he wants to stay at Bayern Munich “for a long time” to “win many titles” after sealing a season-long loan from Barcelona.

The 27-year-old signed for the Bundesliga champions on Monday and the deal includes an option for Bayern to buy the Brazilian from Barcelona for £109.8m at the end of the season.

The attacking midfielder joins after scoring 21 goals in 75 games since arriving at the Nou Camp from Liverpool in January 2018, winning back-to-back La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey in the process.

After a season and a half in Spain, Coutinho is relishing the opportunity to play for Bayern.

“I have a big challenge here and I hope to stay here for a long time and win many titles,” Coutinho said.

“There are always big expectations at Bayern and of course the Champions League is a goal and I will do my best to win the Bundesliga, the cup (DFB-Pokal) and the Champions League with my colleagues.

“I was presented with an ambitious project, I’m an ambitious guy, and I talked to Thiago, Rafinha and Lucio, and I’ve heard a lot of good things, they really helped me a lot.

“I’m hardworking and ambitious, and every time I wear the Bayern jersey, I’ll do the best I can on the field to reach our goals.”

The playmaker will wear the number ten shirt previously worn by Arjen Robben.

The Dutchman retired at the end of last season after scoring 144 goals in 309 games over the course of ten years playing for the Bavarian club.

It is a role which Coutinho acknowledges will be difficult to fill, following his predecessor’s successful decade at the Allianz Arena.

“The jersey of FC Bayern and the number ten is a big responsibility,” he added.

“It belonged to Robben, he was a great reference in football. I hope to be able to confirm expectations with good football on the pitch.”

Coutinho’s arrival follows the signing of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan, who joined Bayern last week on a season-long loan.

The Croat’s deal also includes an option to buy at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.-Sky Sports

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