According to reports on Merseyside, Everton are confident of completing a £30million deal to sign Barcelona loan star Andre Gomes this summer. The 25-year-old has impressed in flashes at Goodison Park.
The Portuguese midfielder is reportedly ready to commit to the Toffees on a permanent basis. Toffees boss Marco Silva has also stated he wants to keep the midfielder, but it is down to the club’s hierarchy if he joins on a permanent basis.
Gomes and Everton a good fit
Andre Gomes and Everton are a good fit. The Portuguese star struggled to cut it at Barcelona and talked about the pressure being too much to handle. He was very frank and honest about his time in Catalonia and he deserves credit for showing such honesty.
Gomes is not ready or not good enough for the top level of club at this point. As an Evertonian, I realise that Everton are not yet ready to compete with the best teams in the Premier League. It is a good fit.
Both Gomes and Everton could push on in future seasons and have the potential to be much better than their current level. At Everton, Gomes has room for development without the crazy pressure of representing a super club like Barcelona, which should help his confidence and be good for his development.
Has endured a mixed time at Everton
The midfielder is an undoubtedly talented player. However, it is fair to say that he has endured mixed fortunes at Everton, despite becoming a popular figure with the fans. The 25-year-old enjoyed a good start to the campaign. His form started fading about the same time as the Toffees did in December, though.
For the last few months, he has struggled to find his top form. Maybe the lack of winter break and fatigue have hampered his career on Merseyside so far. It could also be that Gomes was slightly ring-rusty from seeing limited game time at Barcelona.
However, those early displays illustrated what a classy and technically gifted player Andre Gomes really is. His performance in Everton’s unlucky 1-0 Merseyside derby at Anfield epitomised his ability.
He grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Like his teammates, after that fateful defeat, his form fell off a cliff. That good form has shown signs of returning in recent games, including in a sparkling 2-0 win at West Ham last time out.
Suddenly, Gomes was this all-conquering brilliant central midfielder, who could hold challenges and glide around the pitch again. He was the player who shined so brightly at Valencia that persuaded Barcelona to spend big money to sign him.
Everton looking to progress
This season almost feels like a wasted one for Everton. However, it seems that Portuguese boss Marco Silva is now finally making headway in moving the team forward. Every good team could do with a player like Gomes at his best in the centre of midfield.
He is the quality of player that Everton needs to keep pursuing if they are ever to break back into the top six and eventually the top-four. For now, the Toffees are odds of 1/ 4 for a top-half finish this season.
It seems very likely that Gomes will become an Everton player on a permanent basis. His permanent signing will hopefully be one of the next building blocks in the Toffees becoming a force once again in English football.
The Toffees still have a way to go. However, it seems that given the time to adapt, Andre Gomes may just prove a bargain buy at £30million for the Toffees. Hopefully, Silva will be able to add even more quality to his squad this summer, while offloading a whole lot of deadwood too.
Will Andre Gomes be plying his trade on Merseyside next season?
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