Liverpool's longest serving player of nine years, Joe Gomez, was left out of Liverpool’s matchday squad against Ipswich Town on Saturday. According to Birmingham Mail, Gomez is thought to be ‘exploring his options’ as he seeks the opportunity to play regular first-team football elsewhere this season. With 36 Champions League appearances to his name, Gomez could be a perfect fit in the Villa defence.
Aston Villa, along with the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham, are known to be admirers of the versatile defender and have been linked with a move for him already this summer. The Times have claimed that Liverpool will not stand in his way should he wish to leave before the transfer window draws to a close at the end of August.
"“He is a sensational footballer. He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger and good in one-on-one situations.""Jurgen Klopp - speaking in 2020
Unai Emery and Monchi have confirmed that they wish for more business to be complete to improve the squad and are currently working on a one-in-one-out policy. Centre-back and a versatile attacker appears to be the two areas Emery wishes to improve and Gomez could be the ideal man to bring in at the back. Having sold Cameron Archer to Southampton for a fee of £15 million plus add-ons and the rumours that both Diego Carlos and Alex Moreno are close to an exit, Villa fans can expect more signings to be made.
Villa have also been linked with a move or Feyenoord and Netherlands defender Lutsharel Geertruida and Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah in their quest to add more dominance in defence. Villa shipped 61 goals in the Premier League last season and the absence of an aerial presence like that of Tyrone Mings was a key reason for conceding goals, particularly from corners and crosses. The table below presents a comparison between the three players last season.
Pass completion | Tackle completion | Aerial duels won | |
|---|---|---|---|
Lutsharel Geertruida | 89.6% | 67.6% | 63.6% |
Joe Gomez | 82.8% | 47.6% | 75.6% |
Trevoh Chalobah | 89.4% | 66.7% | 46.3% |
Prior to this summer’s transfer window, Gomez has been inked with move to Villa Park in the past. During Steven Gerrard’s time as manager of Villa he attempted to lure Gomez to the club. However, he decided to continue to fight for his place in the Liverpool team and signed a contract extension in 2022. The 2023/24 season saw Gomez play a lot more games for Liverpool, mainly as a left-back, under Jurgen Klopp but Gomez is said to want a move that will see him play in his preferred position at centre-back.
Aston Villa opened their campaign with a victory away at West Ham United on Saturday and both Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa at centre-back won 100% of their duels during the match. However, the Hammers didn’t test the Villa defence too often and greater quality in depth at centre-back will definitely be needed before the Premier League and Champions League’s hectic schedules kick in.
UTV