Aston Villa sign a ‘Mendes Man’ to complete first transfer deal of the summer

Aston Villa have today completed a move that will see Jed Steer face competition for the number one jersey at AVFC in the wake of Sam Johnstone’s departure. Widespread reports emerged earlier today on social media that Aston Villa were working out a deal with Atletico Madrid’s young goalkeeper Andre Campos Moreira. It has now been all but confirmed by the club itself that Moreira will be joining on an initial season-long loan. The Daily Mirror has the report.

Moreira, incidentally, is a member of Jorge Mendes’ Gestifute agency and has been somewhat of a ‘serial loanee’ in a style emulating that of a Chelsea FC youth graduate. He’s been packed off to multiple clubs in his Portugese homeland, before returning to Atletico, before shipping out again. This seems, at face value, to be Moreira’s defining move so far.

It’s not known if Moreira will take Villa’s goalkeeping spot, as Jed Steer has faced no serious competition for a role that is assumed at this time to be all but his. However, Steer has struggled with problematic injury issues during his career thus far. It seems that the Englishman is set to take the lead, with Moreira waiting in the wings as a deputy should Steer go down. Still, the position is very much in flux and nothing is guaranteed.

While it’s a loan deal, it shores Villa up at the back. If Steer had fallen to injury, Villa would have struggled along with Mark Bunn as the only senior body in the goalkeeping department. Matija Sarkic is a promising youth product, but good goalkeeping requires dominance, communication and confidence - not something that most young goalkeepers are able to offer. What’s more, it’s a sign that Villa are ready to do business - not a position that they have occupied since losing the play-off final.