In a recent interview with Football Insider, former West Ham United forward Frank McAvennie urged Aston Villa to move in for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez. McAvennie said,
“Would he leave Liverpool for Villa? He would need convincing.
“If anyone can do that, Gerrard can. I’m sure he still has links with Villa.
“Gomez is a quality player and good enough to be playing for Liverpool but he’s had to take a back seat this season.
“He’s probably upset by that. Maybe he wants game time. If he does, maybe a loan deal could happen.
“A loan with the option to buy makes sense. He could go out and prove to Liverpool why he should be starting.
“But then he also has the chance to join Villa if it goes well. For me, that makes more sense.”
Gomez’s Lack Of Game Time At Merseyside This Season
Gomez has found game time hard to come by at Anfield this season and has missed a lot of games due to injury. The England international has made ten senior appearances for the Reds during this campaign, receiving 426 minutes of game time on all fronts.
The 24-year-old has been a prominent feature of Liverpool’s EFL Cup squad but has struggled to perform at a high level based on his average of 0.7 tackles, 0.3 interceptions and 2.3 clearances per 90 minutes in that competition. However, he has been excellent when distributing the ball out from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 88.5% in the Carabao Cup (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Gomez Bring To Aston Villa?
Gomez is often quick to spot the danger and usually clears his lines when at risk of being caught out at the back. He is a tidy passer of the ball but has struggled to make interceptions for the Reds this season. Furthermore, the 11-time England international has been quite injury-prone in recent years, so he will be a risky option for Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard to pursue next year.
At 24, Gomez has still got plenty of time to become a top performer at the highest level. Maybe joining the Villans could be a good move for him at this stage of his playing career.
Gomez will bring a lot of quality to Gerrard’s defensive department if he can stay injury-free in the future. Thus, the West Midlands side would be wise to listen to McAvennie’s advice by opting to sign the Liverpool outcast in January or at the end of this campaign.
