After an excellent summer transfer window, Aston Villa could end with the ultimate bang following their first approach to sign a Champions League winner for Unai Emery.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans instantly put their Champions League status to good use this summer, signing the likes of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen among several others to ease blows caused by the departures of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby.
So far, Aston Villa have picked up where they left off last time out too, with a late win over West Ham United getting them going before an unfortunate defeat up against Arsenal despite a solid display full of guilt-edged chances.
That said, with a matter of days left until the transfer window slams shut, those in the Midlands could yet round off a summer to remember amid links to the likes of Raheem Sterling and another Premier League star.
Sterling would instantly replace Diaby and add crucial Champions League experience to Emery’s side, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll make their move for the Chelsea outcast. Instead, they’ve reportedly turned their attention to another top six player.
According to Rudy Galetti for TeamTalk, Aston Villa have approached Liverpool for the first time over signing Joe Gomez before Friday’s deadline. The defender was reportedly left out of the Reds’ squad to face Ipswich Town on the opening day amid his search for a move away for more game time.
Back in Arne Slot’s squad for their 2-0 victory over Brentford, however, that search may have already reached a conclusion for now. Of course, anything could still change in the final days of the window, and Gomez is someone who would thrive at Villa Park, but the current signs are pointing towards an Anfield stay for the 2019 Champions League winner.
Gomez may well be one to keep an eye on beyond this summer though, especially if links with a move to Aston Villa persist.
“Superb” Gomez would thrive under Emery
Gomez has simply become the victim of incredible quality within Liverpool’s backline, with Virgil van Dijk forming quite the partnership with Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah emerging to set course for Anfield stardom. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson remain pivotal to the way the Reds play, even under Slot, to leave Gomez watching on from the sidelines.
Seemingly ready to become the main man elsewhere, Villa would be an excellent next step for the England international. Now in the Champions League, the Villans need all the depth that they can get from a player of Gomez’s versatility.
Whilst battling for a place ahead of Ezri Konsa or Pau Torres at centre-back, Gomez could offer the same challenge to Matty Cash at right-back and even to Maatsen and Lucas Digne at left-back. Simply put, the 27-year-old would be well worth his reported £85,000-a-week salary as a Champions League winner who can play anywhere in a back three, four or five.
The versatile defender has plenty of experience to his name and has been earning significant praise for a number of years, including from former England boss Gareth Southgate, who said via The Independent at the start of his Three Lions career: “I think his decision-making was outstanding. We know his athleticism is a real asset but to see his calmness in the face of such high-quality movement, dealing with through passes he had to read… superb.”