Steven Gerrard is willing to raid Liverpool in pursuit of Joe Gomez as the Aston Villa manager eyes defensive reinforcements.
According to Sunday Mirror, as relayed by Express, Aston Villa have entered the market for Joe Gomez. The Liverpool star has emerged as a loan target for new coach Steven Gerrard, who is ready to raid his former team in order to shore up his options in the defensive department in January.
Formerly of the Charlton youth academy, Gomez joined Liverpool back in 2015 for a fee of just €5 million. He has turned out to be a major bargain for the Merseysiders, having become one of the best young English defenders during the early parts of his spell at Anfield.
During his ongoing six and a half year spell at the club, the defender has notched up 128 competitive appearances while winning 11 caps for the English national team. He had notably played a key role behind Liverpool’s triumph in the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020.
However, an unfortunate injury towards the end of 2020 played a key role in stifling his progress at Anfield. He missed almost the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign, and it appears his spell on the timeline has compelled the Reds to put their faith in other options. Joel Matip, for one, has been the preferred option alongside Virgil van Dijk this season, with new signing Ibrahima Konate serving as the third choice.
As a result, Gomez has only mustered 12 minutes of league action so far, falling behind in the pecking order. But it appears Gerrard is willing to hand him an opportunity to potentially redeem his career by joining Aston Villa in mid-season.
The Villans are in the market for a new defender, having attained the third-worst defensive record in the league this season. Although they have improved considerably during the early stages of the Gerrard leadership, the Liverpool legend is determined to add new faces that can offer competition to the current first-choice options, including Tyrone Mings.
The club hasn’t been shy when it comes to expressing the desire to sign top players either. They have been linked with a move for Villarreal superstar Pau Torres. But in Joe Gomez, Gerrard could find himself a tried and tested Premier League star, who can certainly provide competition for the likes of Mings and Ezri Konsa during the second half of the campaign.
With the World Cup just around the corner, a temporary move to Anfield also makes sense for the player as he looks to get regular minutes under his belt and re-establish himself as one of England’s most promising defenders, under the leadership of Gerrard.
