In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, renowned journalist Tom Collomosse has urged Aston Villa to land Liverpool defender Joe Gomez. Collomosse said,
“I think he looks like that ideal type of player to go into somewhere like Villa at the end of the season.
“They’re looking for a top class centre-back and although he’s still improving in some ways, Joe Gomez is an England international, Premier League champion and played in the best competitions.
“I think that’s definitely one to keep an eye on for the summer.”
Gomez’s Injury-Plagued Season In English Football
Gomez has endured another injury-ravaged campaign at the Merseyside club and has often found himself behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in Jurgen Klopp’s pecking order. The 24-year-old has only made 12 appearances for the Reds this season, earning 440 minutes of playing time on all fronts.
The England international has done well to catch the eye with his performances in Europe as he is averaging 0.8 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per 90 minutes in the UEFA Champions League. He has even been excellent when distributing the ball from the back after making 86.3% of his attempted passes in European football (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Gomez Add To Aston Villa Boss Steven Gerrard’s Team?
Gomez is a tough-tackling defender who can time his challenges well to secure the ball back on the defensive end of the pitch. He usually clears the danger when needed and can be quite accurate when passing the ball from the back. However, the England international has a poor injury record at Anfield, so he will be a risky option for the Villans boss Steven Gerrard to consider in the summer.
Having said that, Gomez will add some bite and steel to Aston Villa‘s backline and could help the West Midlands side challenge for European football in the coming seasons.
At 24, Gomez still has plenty of time to turn his fortunes around for the better in English football. Thus, it makes sense for Gerrard to engineer a move to bring the English central defender to Villa Park during the summer transfer window.
