Hutton Tips This Liverpool Defender To Join Aston Villa: Should Gerrard Get Him On Board?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Rangers player Alan Hutton tipped Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to join Aston Villa during this winter transfer window. Hutton said,

“We have seen what Joe Gomez can do.

“That was when he was playing alongside Virgil van Dijk before the injury happened.

“He has probably fallen down the pecking order recently at Liverpool. An opportunity to come and play for another massive club in Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard, I think would be a huge draw for him. He’d be a huge signing.

“He’s going to have to work his way into the team, I would have thought. Mings and Konsa are the first choice pairing but there’s obviously an opportunity.

“We’ve spoken about having competition if you want to raise your level. To get to those heights Villa see themselves being at in the future, you need competition.

“So I think that would be an absolutely brilliant buy.”

Gomez’s Limited Role At Merseyside This Season

Gomez has struggled to earn regular playing minutes at Anfield during this campaign as he has missed a lot of matches because of injury. The 24-year-old has made ten appearances for the Merseyside club this season, securing 426 minutes of playing time on all fronts.

The English sensation has been a regular feature in the League Cup but has struggled to give a good account of himself as he is averaging 0.7 tackles, 0.3 interceptions and 2.3 clearances per 90 minutes in that competition thus far. However, he has been excellent with his ball distribution after making 88.5% of his attempted passes in the Carabao Cup (stats via whoscored).

Should Aston Villa Get Gomez On Board This January?

Gomez can be a solid presence on the defensive end of the field when he is playing regularly and with confidence for his team. He is often quick to snuff out the danger and doesn’t shy away from clearing the danger when needed. The English centre-back can get stuck in with some crunching tackles to make life difficult for the opposition attackers.

However, Gomez’s progress at Anfield has been derailed by multiple injuries over the past few seasons. Thus, a change of scenery could help the player gain more game time and re-establish himself as a top performer at the highest level.

Aston Villa could be an ideal destination for Gomez as he could play his best football under the management style of Steven Gerrard. At 24, the 11-time England international’s best years are ahead of him which makes him a decent choice for the Villans to pursue this month.

Gomez is good enough to rival Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa for a regular starting spot at Villa Park. Hence, Gerrard should think about getting the Liverpool outcast on board during this January transfer period.