Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard
Sergio Gomez may be the most likely left-back signing at Aston Villa this summer, judging by insight from Birmingham Live journalist John Townley.Â
The lowdown
Villa have already spent £49m on four signings this summer – Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Robin Olsen and Boubacar Kamara – but Steven Gerrard is now intent on signing a left-back who can provide cover and competition for Lucas Digne.
Villa did have Matt Targett on their books but they have now sold him to Newcastle United, where he spent the second half of 2021/22 on loan.
Gomez plays for Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League.
The latest
Townley wrote for Birmingham Live that the 21-year-old, who has been ‘mooted as a possible target’, could ‘provide solid back-up’ for Digne at Villa.
The Spaniard stands out among other left-back options because of his ‘cheap price tag and high upscale’.
By contrast, Villa’s other targets – such as Calvin Bassey of Rangers and Aaron Hickey of Bologna – may be deemed too expensive given that they’ll only be playing ‘limited minutes’ at first.
The verdict
Transfermarkt value Gomez at a moderate £9m. By contrast, Bassey would cost at least £20m, while Hickey is likely to be twice as expensive as the Anderlecht youngster.
The Spaniard certainly looks like he would be good value for money at £9m. He impressively recorded 12 assists in the Belgium league, and three more in the country’s cup competition, last season and chipped in with seven goals as well.
Which Villa signing has excited you the most?
Coutinho
Olsen
Kamara
Carlos
Only three players in the entire division – Genk’s Junya Ito (15), OH Leuven’s Xavier Mercer and Zulte Waregem’s Jean-Luc Dompe (14 each), all of whom are attackers – set up more goals in 2021/22, testifying to how effective Gomez can be as an attacking outlet.
It might be hard to hit those numbers in the Premier League, but they certainly suggest that the 21-year-old could augment Villa’s attack effectively whenever Digne is absent.
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