Aston Villa have completed the signing of João Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the Brazil international putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at Villa Park running to 2031. The deal was confirmed on 20 July 2026 and is worth £38m in total, with Villa paying an initial £34m plus a further £4m in potential add-ons, according to Sky Sports.
Emery moved for Gomes out of necessity as much as choice. Amadou Onana is facing a lengthy spell out after suffering a serious knee injury with Belgium at the World Cup, Boubacar Kamara has also been sidelined for a long stretch, and Youri Tielemans left for Manchester United earlier in the window. That left Villa short of combative options in central midfield just as the new season approaches, and with little time to bed in a project signing, Emery wanted a player who could contribute straight away. Gomes fits that profile: a tenacious tackler and ball-carrier already well used to the physicality of English football. He is Villa's second midfield addition in the space of four days, following the club-record capture of Johan Manzambi, with funds partly generated by Morgan Rogers' British record departure to Chelsea.
For Wolves, it's a significant loss. Gomes joined from Flamengo in January 2023 for around £15m and went on to make roughly 130 appearances, becoming one of the most reliable and popular figures in the squad. He played 35 games last season even as Wolves were relegated from the Premier League, rarely dropping below his usual standards. Wolves technical director Matt Jackson paid tribute to him on his departure: "Joao deserves everything he gets from the game. He's the type of professional that coaches love and players love." Replacing that energy and consistency in midfield will be one of the club's main tasks as they prepare for life in the Championship.
Gomes' form didn't dip even as results went against Wolves. He was a near-ever-present through last season, including scoring against his new club in a 2-0 Wolves win, and pundits felt he was unlucky to miss out on Brazil's World Cup squad this summer despite maintaining his standards throughout a difficult campaign. He has ten senior caps for Brazil and, at 25, arrives at Villa Park with his best years still ahead of him.
At Villa, Gomes should slot into a midfield Emery is deliberately rebuilding to be more athletic, combative and durable than the side that won the Europa League. His tackling and mobility give Villa cover for Onana's absence and an option to sit alongside newer arrivals such as Manzambi, while his ball-carrying offers a different way of progressing play through midfield.
The signing continues a busy summer for Villa as Emery looks to build a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts after their Europa League triumph. With pre-season under way, Gomes could feature in Villa's next fixture as Emery looks to have his new-look midfield ready for the opening weeks of the season.