Aston Villa reinforced one of the key positions in its squad with the signing of Brazilian João Gomes, one of the few Wolverhampton Wanderers players who maintained outstanding performance despite the club’s relegation to the Championship.
The operation, valued at 38 million pounds sterling (about 44 million euros), represents a commitment by the team led by Unai Emery for a midfielder who already knows the demands of the Premier League and who arrives to provide balance, intensity in recovery and physical deployment in the central area of the field.
The departure of Gomes, 25 years old, was one of the most foreseeable consequences after Wolverhampton’s relegation.
Although the team lost the category, the Brazilian international maintained a competitive level that sparked the interest of several clubs during the summer market. Among them was Atlético de Madrid, but it was Aston Villa that accelerated the negotiations and managed to close the agreement to keep the player in the highest category of English football.
The incorporation also responds to Emery’s intention to strengthen a midfield that must sustain the club’s aspirations both in the Premier League and in European competitions.
Flamengo also obtains benefits
The transfer will have repercussions beyond English football.
Flamengo, the club where João Gomes trained, will receive nearly 35 million reais (about six million euros) thanks to the combination of the FIFA solidarity mechanism and the percentages of a future sale that it retained when the player emigrated to European football.
This type of operation reflects the importance of resale clauses and training rights for South American clubs, which continue to obtain income from footballers developed in their quarries.
A new challenge
After establishing himself in the Premier League with Wolverhampton, João Gomes will now face a new challenge in his career.
At Aston Villa you will find a project that aspires to establish itself among the protagonists of English football and compete regularly on the European stage, a context that will also raise expectations for a midfielder who arrives at the best moment of his career.