This week is guaranteed to be busy both on and off the field for Aston Villa who are attempting to finalise things in the January transfer window after a dismal 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United.
Fortunately, Unai Emery has confirmed that outgoings and incomings are on the agenda.
Indeed, they do look as though they are finally set to conclude one deal with Morgan Rogers on his way to Villa Park, as per Fabrizio Romano. However, Villa's hunt for reinforcements won't stop at the Middlesbrough star in 2024.
A record-breaking move for Aston Villa
According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are still interested in signing Pedro Goncalves.
The 25-year-old has a £68m release clause in his contract, which runs until 2027. That would make him a club-record buy following the purchase of £51.9m Moussa Diaby last summer.
As a result, unless significant outgoings occur before the deadline, any deal for Goncalves will have to be completed in the summer.
How Pedro Goncalves compares to Bruno Fernandes
Today, Bruno Fernandes is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, as highlighted by the fact he created the most big chances in the entire division last campaign.
Since his move to Manchester United for an initial fee of £46.5m in January 2020, the Portugal international has become the United captain and registered 130 goal contributions in 214 games.
Another midfielder who is a creative master and could follow in the same footsteps as Fernandes by swapping Lisbon for England in January is Goncalves, and Emery will be hoping that the Portuguese dynamo could have a similar impact on his team.
Therefore, let's look at Goncalves' style of play and his statistics from the 2023/24 Liga Portugal season. His percentages below account for where he ranks among positionally similar players in the Portuguese top flight.
Goals
0.40
Top 15%
Assists
0.40
Top 7%
Shots total
3.20
Top 11%
Key passes
2.29
Top 11%
Progressive passes
6.12
Top 11%
Tackles
1.60
Top 19%
On the evidence of the above, it is easy to see why Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed Goncalves the "new Bruno Fernandes," with the 25-year-old boasting incredible goal-scoring and assist statistics.
Although he has been excellent this season with 11 goals and ten assists, what's most impressive is the fact that he's performed at this level for years, as highlighted by his astounding 113 goal contributions in 159 games for Sporting.
Furthermore, the former Wolves gem, who's been labelled "phenomenal" by football analyst Antonio Mango, is one of the most versatile players in Europe, as this season he has played on both wings, as an attacking midfielder, a box-to-box centre midfielder, and even a defensive midfielder.
Goncalves' intelligence, work rate, and ability to get stuck in allow him to do this, which would make him a perfect fit for Emery's side, who play with intensity and positional freedom in the midfield.
This versatility means he could feature as the second striker just behind Ollie Watkins, in the inverting left-midfield role that John McGinn operates in, or even next to Boubacar Kamara as a direct replacement for Douglas Luiz, who could be on the move this summer.
As you can see, Goncalves' skillset is very similar to the creative marvel that is Fernandes, and he could just become Villa's own version of United's number eight. Although the fee is rather steep, his quality and vast attributes make it seem like fair value.
