Andre Gomes and Everton a match made in heaven

16/07/19 1957

According to Sky Sports, Everton have reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes for a fee of around £22million.

The 25-year-old impressed on-loan on Merseyside last season in his 29 Premier League appearances.

In truth, the pair look like a match made in heaven. Everton are a highly ambitious club, looking to relive their glory days, while Gomes is a player with major talent and in need of a nurturing home.

Last season he seemed to find sanctuary at Everton, after a very short nightmare spell with Catalan giants Barcelona. When he joined the Spanish champions from Valencia in 2016, he cost them £41.5million.

The reason Barcelona paid such a big fee at the time was that Gomes had looked like a seriously talented central midfielder at Valencia. In fact, some believed that the Portuguese star would go on to become one of the best midfielders in the world.

At 25 years of age, there is still time for him to push on. The move to Merseyside last summer brought the best out of Gomes. For many games, he looked like the superb talent who had emerged at Valencia, rather than the player who struggled with the mental aspect of playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs.

The Toffees hierarchy seems confident that they can push on over the next couple of seasons, with the top-six looking like a realistic target next season. Marco Silva’s team ended last season in good form, beating three of the top-six and drawing with Liverpool on home soil.

If the Merseysider’s can strengthen their squad with a couple more signings, then the Toffees could be a big danger to the teams who occupied the top-six last season.

Signing Gomes for a fee off around £22million looks to be a real bargain in these days of crazy transfer fees. The pair could well have a bright future together and the move seems to suit everybody involved, including selling club Barcelona.