Despite all the speculations in recent weeks, Everton have successfully tied down Andre Gomes on a permanent deal after impressing on loan last season from Barcelona. A fee of around £22m has been agreed, and the paperwork is expected to be completed within hours, the Liverpool Echo has confirmed.
The Toffees finished eighth in the Premier League standings as they improved gradually after a nervy inception. Gomes had a torrid spell in Catalonia following a €35m (plus €20 million in add-ons) switch from Valencia. The midfielder was pivotal in Portugal’s 2016 UEFA European Championship, but he failed to replicate a similar show in Camp Nou.
Everton offered him an opportunity to resurrect his career last summer under fellow countryman Marco Silva. He made his Goodison debut in late October and went on to feature 29 times altogether building up a resilient partnership alongside Idrissa Gana Gueye in the middle of the park.
The 25-year-old midfield ace was not a part of Portugal’s final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup contest as he only made 16 league appearances for the Blaugrana during the 2017-18 campaign. There he failed to live up to the hype but proved his worth in English football adjusting to its demands and aggression.
Gomes, while struggling at times while tackling and retaining possession, his dribbling, down the middle runs and passing traits made the Blues’ free-flowing in the centre of the pitch. While Gueye was more effective in a destructive role to win the ball back, the former Benfica prodigy played his part in creating attacking transitions with steady box-to-box movements. He rediscovered his confidence with time and grabbed the attention of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United over a potential summer switch.
Everton have exhibited great intent in the market by roping in many of their prime transfer targets. The likes of Richarlison, Lucas Digne and Gylfi Sigurdsson have been quite impressive in their respective roles, and a bit more consistency to their game would see the Toffees challenging for a place in Europe closing the gap with the league’s ‘Big Six’.
The Blues faced a downturn midway through the previous term, and therefore they must maintain the momentum throughout to avoid yet another season of misery and misfortune. The Gomes deal will indeed boost the gaffer as he would have a stable set-up now to start delivering from the very first gameweek of the upcoming campaign.
