Villa Close to Coup Signing of Leon Goretzka
Aston Villa have moved to sign ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka on a free transfer, with the deal now agreed in principle, according to The Athletic, after Matteo Moretto (Marca) initially broke the story.
It’s reported that personal terms have been agreed, though a medical still needs to happen before anything is signed. Villa are hopeful of having the whole thing wrapped up within the next week.
Having missed out on their pursuit of João Palhinha, Villa were still searching for cover for Amadou Onana, who ruptured his ACL playing for Belgium at the World Cup and will be ruled out for most of the season.
Goretzka’s contract at Bayern Munich ran out at the end of last season, closing an eight-year spell that brought over 300 senior appearances. The 31-year-old was not short of admirers while he searched for his next club over the summer, with Atlético Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Arsenal all credited with interest at various points.
Not So Free Transfer
A free transfer in this case doesn’t mean he’s arriving cheaply, though. Goretzka is said to have been holding out for wages in the region of €7m a season net, plus a signing bonus of around €10m more, terms that reportedly put off several suitors and go some way to explaining why a player of his standing was still without a club so deep into the window.
Given Villa’s recent toils with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Squad Cost Ratio (SCR), it’s something of a surprise they’re willing to entertain financial packages in that ballpark at all. Still, it beats the initial alternative: paying Bayern’s €20m asking price to sign Palhinha, who is also 31, on a permanent deal, rather than the loan Villa had actually wanted. Palhinha eventually moved to Benfica instead, for €15m plus €5m in add-ons.
Mr Gravitas
While it could be argued that Palhinha is a better out-and-out defensive midfielder than Goretzka, there’s little comparison when it comes to how Goretzka contributes across all phases of play. At his peak he was one of European football’s best box-to-box midfielders and had goals in his locker too. Tactically, he’ll give Unai Emery a lot more possibilities with his versatility and provide a bit of stardust and gravitas to the team, like Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio did for Villa’s last Champions League campaign.
The former Bayern No 8, at 6ft 2in, will add real physical presence in the middle of the park. It’s a further boost to a Villa midfield that, on paper at least, is becoming increasingly robust and dynamic, with the likes of João Gomes and Johan Manzambi.
Despite his age and potential wage, with Villa’s recent loss of experienced leadership figures like Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, and potentially Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martínez from the squad, Emery would have identified that the likes of Gomes, Alejandro Garnacho, George Hemmings and Brian Madjo certainly would benefit from the guidance of a seasoned Champions League campaigner.
There’s no doubt the presence of the German international will also settle some supporter nerves for the season ahead.
Model Midfielder
Beyond the pitch, there’s a like-for-like element to the Onana cover, too. Onana has cultivated something of a wannabe-model side profile since arriving at Villa Park, and Goretzka arrives with a head start on that front: German GQ’s Man of the Year in 2020, with endorsement deals with Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Adidas to match.
The last of those might matter for reasons beyond styling. Nassef Sawiris’ 7% stake in Adidas was central to Villa landing their own kit deal with the brand in the first place, and it would not be a stretch to wonder whether a Goretzka-Adidas relationship helped smooth the financial side of getting this one over the line.
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