"It would have to be some pitch" - Paul Robinson says Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will have to convince Liverpool defender about summer switch

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard; [inset] Paul Robinson.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard; [inset] Paul Robinson.

One-time English League Cup winner Paul Robinson believes it will take a great deal of convincing from Steven Gerrard to bring Liverpool's Joe Gomez to Aston Villa.

As per Football Insider, Villa boss Gerrard has made signing Gomez his number one priority for the summer. The Villans made a move for the Englishman in January but the Reds were unwilling to let him leave midway through the season.

Since the arrival of Ibrahima Konate, Gomez has fallen to fourth-choice in the pecking order. Jurgen Klopp has largely used either Konate or Joel Matip alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defense. Consequently, the Englishman has had to make do with deputizing for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.

Robinson, who was part of the last Tottenham Hotspur side to win a major trophy, believes an offer from Villa could be "tempting" for Gomez. He told Football Insider:

“I’m sure the prospect of a big role and regular football as a centre-half, as opposed to a right-back, would be tempting. Given his age and where he is at in his career, he will want to be playing every week. To get that under Steven Gerrard at a club like Aston Villa is a great opportunity for any player.”

The former England goalkeeper, however, speculated whether Gomez would want to move from Liverpool, where he can win titles, to Aston Villa:

“But when you look at where Liverpool are, do you want to go to Villa? They’re in the bottom half of the table. The attraction will be regular first-team football. But if Gomez is playing 25 games a season for Liverpool it would have to be some pitch from Gerrard.”

Joe Gomez has played extremely sparingly for Liverpool this season

Liverpool are set to play in every possible game this season, having qualified for the finals of the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League final and won the Carabao Cup. With the first-choice XI churning out incredible performances, Klopp hasn't really rotated his side all that much.

Gomez has consequently had to do with a bit-part role and has made just 20 appearances in all competitions this term. He has averaged less than 50 minutes per match and may not boost that figure by much as we approach the end of the campaign.

Overall, Gomez has played 141 times for the Reds since joining from Charlton Athletic back in 2015. He is yet to score for them but has provided five assists and won five major titles, including the Champions League and Premier League.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava