On This Day: Barca signed 'Brazilian magician' Coutinho; Henry rejoined Arsenal

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (January 6th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On This Day in 2018 - Coutinho Joined Barcelona

On 6 January 2018, Barcelona announced the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for a fee that could reach £142m.

In a statement on their website, Liverpool said: “Liverpool FC can confirm Philippe Coutinho will be leaving the club after a transfer agreement was reached with FC Barcelona, subject to a medical and agreement of personal terms. The player now has permission to complete the usual formalities to conclude the transfer immediately.” Barcelona confirmed Coutinho’s arrival on their website shortly afterwards, revealing the player will have a €400m (£355m) buyout clause.

Born on 12 June, 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Phillipe Coutinho is one of the most talented midfielders in the world with the potential to get even better. The Brazilian has shown his talent and class at the highest level with Premier League club Liverpool and with the Brazilian national side.

After joining Barcelona, Coutinho have made 44 appearances and scored 15 goals and 10 assissts for the Catalans.

On This Day in 2012 - Apparently, You Can Go Home Again

On 6 January 2012, Arsenal confirmed the return of Gunners' legend Thierry Henry, the club's all-time leading goalscorer and the Monaco manager now, on loan.

Henry played for the Gunners from 1999 to 2007, making 369 appearances and scoring 226 goals. While there, he won two league titles (including the undefeated "Invincibles" run in the 2003-04 season) and three FA Cups before leaving for Barcelona in a deal worth €24M. He continued to collect silverware in Spain, with a record six-trophy haul in 2009 that included the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.

Halfway through the 2011-12 season, as a rocky start left Arsenal struggling to capture a Champions League qualification spot, they looked to Henry, who had by then moved to the New York Red Bulls.

He joined them in January for a two-month loan. On 9 January, he made his first appearance, coming on as a substitute to score the only goal in a FA Cup win over Leeds United. He went on to make another six appearances and scored again in his final match, a 1-2 away win over Sunderland, before returning to New York. Let's have a look at his amazing goal vs Leeds United here:

On This Day in 2013 - Sturridge Scored His First Reds Goal

With 150 appearances and 67 goals, Sturridge has already been one of the best Liverpool forwards now.

On 6th January 2013, Daniel Sturridge announced his arrival as a Liverpool player with an early debut goal against Mansfield in FA Cup following his move from Chelsea as Brendan Rodgers's team dominated the first half.

Luis Suarez's hotly-contested goal ensured Liverpool avoided an FA Cup third-round shock as battling Blue Square Bet Premier side Mansfield Town were beaten at Field Mill.

After that amazing debut goal of Sturridge, the '3S' trio: Luis Suarez + Sturridge+Sterling were really fantastic at that time!

On This Day in 1994 - Denis Suarez Was Born

On 6 January 1994, Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez was born in Salceda de Caselas (Pontevedra) . A player who represented Spain at youth level, Denis decided to head for England to continue developing.

Denis Suarez was Barca's first signing of the 2016/17 season. He is a technically gifted midfielder with goal scoring ability.

His Barca debut came on 14 August 2016, versus Sevilla, in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. In his first season, under Luis Enrique, Denis played 36 games and scored three goals. Playing under Ernesto Valverde, Denis surpassed the 50-appearance mark with the first team.

Denis Suarez is rumoured to join Arsenal in January these days, will he announce the big news on his birthday today?

On This Day in 2011 - Maybe They Should Have Taken A Little Bit Longer

On 6 January 2011, following a complete shake-up, Toronto FC introduced their new management team, including head coach Aron Winter. The new regime didn't last very long, however.

The previous November, following a disappointing season that saw them miss the MLS playoffs for the fourth straight year, Toronto hired former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann to re-evaluate the entire club, top to bottom, over a six-month period. His tasks included identifying a suitable playing style and recommending someone to fill the position of Director of Soccer.

Just over two months later, the club announced the results of that effort, introducing former Ajax assistant coach Winter as the team's new boss, with his colleague Bob de Klerk following him from the Dutch club to be Toronto's First Assistant Coach. Former Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Mariner completed the trio, stepping into the Director of Soccer role.

Despite the re-vamp, Toronto's 2011 season was another disappointment; with a record of 6 wins, 13 losses, and 15 draws, the club again failed to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs (though they did reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League). The 2012 season was just as poor, leading the club to sack Winter in June and replace him with Mariner, who was then sacked in January 2013.