Aston Villa are looking to pull off an impressive Boubacar Kamara repeat to sign another free agent midfielder next summer, according to one report.
Aston Villa flush with midfielders
Though they sold Douglas Luiz in the summer to balance their books amid concerns about the Premier League’s financial fair play regulations, Unai Emery still has plenty of midfielders to choose from as things stand. They replaced the Brazilian with £50m addition Amadou Onana from fellow Premier League side Everton, while they also signed Ross Barkley from relegated Luton Town on what is reported to have been a three-year deal.
The 30-year-old Englishman adds yet more depth to a side that can already call upon Youri Tielemans and club captain John McGinn, though the latter is usually stationed on the left-hand side of midfield, while Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rodgers can both be deployed in deeper areas if required.
That depth has helped the club get off to an excellent start so far this season, with Villa in fifth place as things stand as well as having won both of their opening Champions League fixtures including a mammoth home tie against German giants Bayern Munich.
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They are also set to welcome back Boubacar Kamara from a long-term knee injury to strengthen their ranks yet further, but are well aware that with money tight after losses of £120m last year, they will have to be smart in the transfer market to continue to keep up with the Premier League giants that they are trying to compete with. With that in mind, they have joined the race for an in-demand free agent.
Aston Villa eye up Kamara repeat in Modric-esque midfielder
That is according to GiveMeSport, who claim that Unai Emery’s side have joined the race to sign new England star Angel Gomes from Lille. The former Manchester United midfielder has carved out an impressive career for himself since moving to France, and has been rewarded with a run of games in the England side under interim boss Lee Carsley.
His £11.5k per week deal in France comes to an end this summer though, and the 24-year-old is likely to have his pick of several clubs amid links to Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle. Now, Aston Villa have joined the race, with the Villans having managed a similar coup when they poached Kamara on a free transfer three years ago when his contract in Ligue 1 came to an end.
Though Gomes would be joining a well-stocked Villa midfield, he would offer something that they lack at present, with his cultured passing style and low centre of gravity a very different proposition to any of Tielemans, Kamara or Onana.
Indeed, stat site FBRef likens his playstyle to Real Madrid icon Luka Modric, who enjoyed an excellent spell in the Premier League with Tottenham, and who is also known for outside of the boot passes like that displayed by Gomes in the above video against Finland.
How Gomes and Luka Modric compared in 2023-24
Angel Gomes
Luka Modric
Goals and assists
8
8
Pass accuracy
89.4%
87%
Progressive passes per 90
7.13
10.4
Shot creating actions per 90
3.75
5.6
Touches per 90
67.8
96.4
A full England international on a free transfer may well be too good for Villa to pass up, especially given that Gomes is likely to be entering the prime of his career.