Aston Villa have made a much-needed signing to their midfield, adding Joao Gomes to the roster.
The Villans have had a rough summer so far in terms of midfield numbers. Youri Tielemans has departed for Manchester United, while Amadou Onana ruptured his ACL while representing Belgium at the World Cup. Boubacar Kamara is also injured and will miss the first few months of the season.
To combat their issues, Villa have forked out £34million to sign Joao Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers, capitalising on their Midlands rivals’ relegation.
The Brazilian was Wolves’ best player last season and it wasn’t just because their general level was low. He was one of the league’s top midfielders, and it was no surprise to see him stay in the top flight.
Joao Gomes analysis
Joao Gomes’ playing style
Joao Gomes is very much a defensive-minded midfielder. He sat as part of Wolves’ central midfield duo in the Premier League last season, and covered the middle third of the pitch. The Brazilian very rarely forayed into either penalty area, with the exception of defending set-pieces.
He ranked third in the Premier League overall for his 107 tackles last season, with an average of 3.4 per 90 minutes. Only Joao Palhinha (110) and James Garner (120) managed more tackles in the Premier League. It was only Palhinha (4.51) and Florentino (3.84) who sat above Joao Gomes for tackles per 90, among those with at least 1,710 (50%) minutes played. Of course, Joao Gomes would be busier than most due to the team he was in, with Wolves averaging the third-lowest possession average (42.72%) in the Premier League last season. But that shouldn’t take away from his performances.
Joao Gomes was key in Wolves trying to win the ball back, stopping opposition attacks. He sat in the top 10 for his 90 possessions won in the defensive third, and 11th for his 92 possessions won in the middle third. But Joao Gomes ranked second in both metrics among Wolves players. Midfielder partner Andre was the only man ahead of him, with 110 possessions won in the middle third and 92 in the defensive third.
Mateus Mane was the only Wolves player with more possessions won in the attacking third than Joao Gomes’ 12. And as mentioned, that wasn’t really Joao Gomes’ area to attack. The Brazilian midfielder sat top for Wolves for his 226 duels won, was second for his 36 interceptions and won around 50% of his total duels.
But Joao Gomes has ability on the ball too. He attempted (1,455) and completed (1,245) more passes than any other Wolves player in the Premier League last season. The Brazilan wasn’t just a safe passer, though. He did try to get Wolves up the pitch, leading for his 388 final third passes attempted and 288 completed. Joao Gomes can progress the ball, which will be key in Aston Villa’s midfield.
How does Joao Gomes compare to Youri Tielemans?
This is a decent matchup between Joao Gomes and Tielemans, who he’ll replace in the double pivot. They had similar seasons in terms of defensive output in the midfield, and it won’t be too much of a drop off in talent. The fact that Joao Gomes is four years younger will be a big positive, too.
Tielemans averaged 17 passes per 90 in the Premier League last season, which was a bit more than Joao Gomes’ 11.6 per 90. But the Brazilian did have slightly better general passing accuracy. The difference in forward passes would also have come down to team styles, with Aston Villa a lot more attacking than Wolves. Joao Gomes shouldn’t have any issues in achieving those numbers this season.
Tielemans also had more success in his duels than Joao Gomes. The Belgian won 56.41% of his aerial duels, more than Joao Gomes’ 50% success rate. Tielemans also won 61.14% of his ground duels, which was quite a lot moer than Joao Gomes’ 50.13% success rate. Again, though, these are things that Joao Gomes can work on.
But the defensive metrics? Joao Gomes wins every matchup. The pair have slightly different styles, and Tielemans was the more attacking of Villa’s double pivot, with Onana doing the defensive work. But Joao Gomes will have to replace both of them for the time being.
He bested Tielemans for tackles made, duels won, clearances, interceptions and ball recoveries per 90 in the Premier League last season. Even when you through Onana into the mix, Joao Gomes still comes out on top for his tackles made (3.4) and ball recoveries (6.2) per 90. He’s a top signing there.
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How Aston Villa’s new-look midfield could lineup
Joao Gomes isn’t Aston Villa’s only midfield arrival this summer. The Villans have also signed Johan Manzambi from Freiburg after his excellent performance at the World Cup. He’ll be a replacement for Morgan Rogers, who is on his way to Chelsea. But the Swiss star can also play deeper in midfield, as he did in parts last season.
Long-term, Kamara will be Joao Gomes’ double pivot partner, but Unai Emery will need to find a solution for the opening game of the season (and the Uefa Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain). Towards the end of last season, Victor Lindelof was the solution. And he may continue alongside Joao Gomes, allowing Manzambi to play in the No.10 role.
Although that may be a bit too defensive, needs must given Villa’s current midfield situation. Ross Barkley would be another option, either in the No.10 or as Joao Gomes’ partner. He would be the more attacking of the double pivot, while Joao Gomes holds the fort. Were Barkley to play in the No.10, Manzambi would be the more attacking of a double pivot alongside Joao Gomes. The former is much more likely, though. Villa haven’t signed Manzambi to be a deeper player.
Either way, though, it does feel like Aston Villa might need to sign another midfielder just to add more depth to their squad. They should be treating Onana’s absence as they would a departure, given how long he’s going to be out for. And there are doubts surrounding Lamare Bogarde’s future, with the 22-year-old yet to truly impress at Villa Park.