'A fair price' for 'combative' Gomes

[Getty Images] Aston Villa needed to move after Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on duty at the World Cup with Belgium, which threw a major spanner in Villa's transfer plans this summer. With Youri Tielemans being sold, Villa had a gaping hole in their midfield, even if Boubacar Kamara is due to return from his own serious knee injury, which he suffered in January. Joao Gomes arrives with the experience and Premier League know-how to hit the ground running under manager Unai Emery. Emery wants ready-made players equipped to understand his methods quickly and Gomes should fit the bill well. A combative player, he made the third most tackles in the Premier League last season with 107, behind Everton 's James Garner and Joao Palhinha, who was on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich and whom Villa also hold an interest in this summer. Gomes' ball recoveries were the fourth highest in the division - he won possession 194 times. With 116 Premier League appearances in his three and a half years at Molineux, there is plenty of experience as Villa move into a new era following last season's Europa League win. Gomes arrives at a fair price with Villa needing to walk the financial tightrope to ensure they comply with Premier League and Uefa financial regulations.