Aston Villa agree a deal to sign Joao Gomes from Wolves

Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Joao Gomes from Wolves, moving quickly to rebuild a midfield that has been pulled apart this summer. The Brazil international is set for a medical ahead of a switch across the Midlands, with Villa paying an initial fee of around 35 million pounds that could climb higher through add-ons. Unai Emery’s side saw off interest from Atletico Madrid to get the deal over the line.

Why Villa needed him

Emery has had a rough few weeks in the middle of the pitch. Youri Tielemans, the man who ran so much of Villa’s play last season, left for Manchester United in a 35 million pound move, and Amadou Onana picked up a serious knee injury at the World Cup. Losing your two central midfielders inside a couple of weeks is the kind of problem that forces a club to act fast, and Villa have done exactly that.

What Gomes brings

Gomes is a different profile to Tielemans. Where the Belgian dictated tempo and picked passes, Gomes is all engine and aggression, a ball-winner who covers ground and gets stuck in. He joined Wolves from Flamengo in January 2023 and grew into one of the side’s most dependable players, racking up around 130 appearances and rarely missing a Premier League game. At 25, he is entering the years when a combative midfielder tends to be at his best, and Emery has long valued players who can win the ball back high up the pitch.

A blow for Wolves

For Wolves, this is a sale that hurts. Gomes had signed a long contract at Molineux and become a genuine fan favourite, the sort of player supporters point to when they talk about spirit and effort. Selling him to a direct rival, a year after he committed his future to the club, will not go down easily. It also raises the familiar question that trails Wolves every summer, whether they can hold on to their best players or whether the bigger clubs will keep picking them off.

Emery’s rebuild takes shape

Gomes is not the only new face arriving in Villa’s engine room, and Emery clearly wants his squad settled well before the season starts and the Champions League nights come around. Get the midfield right and Villa have the makings of another strong campaign. Get it wrong, after losing the player who held it all together, and the margin for error at the top end of the table is thin.

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