Aston Villa only have a few days left to go to complete the remainder of their business as the summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday.
The Villans have started the Premier League season with one win, against West Ham United, and one defeat, to Arsenal, and it still remains to be seen how well their current signings will fare this term.
Amadou Onana was the only new arrival in the starting XI for the clash with the Gunners, whilst Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley came off the bench and Jaden Philogene was an unused substitute.
The Champions League outfit are reportedly in the market to make further additions to their squad before the deadline passes on Friday, however, with a Premier League defender on their radar.
Aston Villa eyeing Premier League enforcer
According to TEAMtalk, the Villans are one of the sides lining up a late swoop to sign England international Joe Gomez from Liverpool this week.
The report claims that fellow Premier League side Newcastle United are also keen on the versatile defender, who can play at full-back or centre-back.
It states that Villa and the Magpies have both made enquiries about his availability and the Reds are prepared to let him leave if the right offer comes in.
Earlier this summer, it was reported that the former Charlton ace is valued at £45m but it remains to be seen whether either of the interested teams are willing to pay that, or if a loan deal could be on the cards.
Villa’s reported interest should come as bad news for Matty Cash, who could be impacted by the English battler’s arrival at the club this week.
Why this is bad news for Matty Cash
The Poland international should be concerned by the side enquiring about a deal for Gomez because the Liverpool brute could come in and take his place in the team.
Villa deployed natural centre-back Ezri Konsa as a right-back in 23 matches during the 2023/24 campaign and Gomez could come in to fulfill a similar role, which would allow the ex-Brentford man to remain in the middle next to Pau Torres.
The Liverpool defender has played 114 games at centre-back and 98 matches as a right-back in his career, which suggests that he would be perfect for that hybrid role – coming inside to create a back three in possession.
|
23/24 Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
32 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.4 |
0.7 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.5 |
2.1 |
|
Duel success rate |
47% |
54% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
42% |
74% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Gomez could also come in as an upgrade on Cash in and out of possession for Villa, based on their form in the Premier League last term.
The Polish full-back let himself down from a physical perspective as he allowed opposition players to get the better of him more often than not, whilst Gomez was more dominant – particularly in the air.
Liverpool’s 27-year-old ace also almost created twice as many chances per game as Cash, despite being a natural centre-back, and could provide more creativity down the flank.
Therefore, Villa’s interest in the England international is bad news for Unai Emery‘s current right-back, as it could spell the end of his time as a regular in the team.