Aston Villa Signs Joao Gomes for £38m Amid Midfield Overhaul

Aston Villa have struck again in the transfer market, sealing the £38m signing of Joao Gomes from Wolves as Unai Emery rips up and rewires his midfield.

The Brazil international arrives for an initial £34m, with a further £4m tied to add-ons, after Villa saw off strong interest from Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club had tracked the 25-year-old closely, but the decisive move came from Birmingham: Gomes left Wolves’ training camp in Portugal on Thursday to undergo a medical and close out the switch to Villa Park.

It is Villa’s second major midfield signing in the space of days. On Friday they completed a club-record deal worth more than £50m for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi, beating Newcastle to the Switzerland international and underlining their intent at the top end of the Premier League.

This is not a summer of gentle tweaks for Villa. It is a full-scale refit.

The need is obvious. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after suffering a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium, ripping a sizeable hole in Emery’s engine room. Morgan Rogers, another midfield option, is set to depart after Villa agreed a £117m deal with Chelsea.

So Villa have moved aggressively. Manzambi brings craft and range. Gomes brings bite, legs and a relentless edge.

His numbers at Wolves tell a story of responsibility in a struggling side. Gomes made 41 appearances last season as Wolves slumped to the bottom of the Premier League, a grim campaign in which he was still trusted week after week. Since arriving from Flamengo in 2023, he has played 130 times for the club, scoring seven goals and becoming a central figure in their midfield.

That experience in the chaos of a relegation fight now gets transplanted into a dressing room chasing Champions League nights and trophies.

For Wolves, it is the end of a short but intense chapter with a player they plucked from Brazil and quickly leaned on. For Villa, it is another statement that this project is not slowing down, even in the face of injuries and high-profile exits.

Two big midfield signings in 48 hours. One long, demanding season ahead.