£22m Gomes switch from Barcelona officially complete

“Everton are getting a great player there” Whelan told Football Insider. “He is one of those players who is a class act and who will be even more effective in his second season than in his first.

“Lots of teams looked at him – Tottenham, West Ham, even Liverpool wanted him at one point. That tells you a lot. Midfielders who are physical, can mix it, cover the pitch and have the technical ability to operate in tight space and put the ball on a sixpence are worth their weight in gold.

“Personally, I think he has made the right choice to join Everton, as he knows Marco Silva's playing style, is happy at the club and he should be a different prospect next season.

“Sometimes, it can take a whole season to get used to the pace and style of the league, as well as the manager's playing style and how he wants to use you. All these factors have to be taken into consideration.”

I wonder who will be next?

Good move, good price.

Now keep your eye on the ball, young man.

Personally, I think he has it all to be our midfield general, skill on the ball, strength on the ball, physically imposing. He has the attributes to be a real box-to-box midfielder. He has yet to truly show that on a consistent basis, but he is young and as the team develops, so will he.

Hopefully, his midfield partner will be Gueye.

This is a player with lots of ability. What's even more encouraging are the displays he put in against some of the top sides in the Premier League, particularly away at Liverpool.

He had an awful blip after that actual game that lasted about 2 months. This worries me. It's an unfortunate trend throughout his career. Hopefully he can add this level of consistency to his game.

Welcome, André Gomes. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum!

I was in Turkey golfing last month. The Turkish lads we spoke to were football mad. You'll enjoy some lively conversation I'm sure. And you can tell everyone we're a club on the up. Great signing.

I'm hoping for him to get forward a bit more, score a few more goals, and have us dominating a few more games.

Next!

Now for Zouma, hopefully soon a few more signings. MB will have done his homework, let's see what happens the next month.

Hopefully a full preseason will help improve his goals and assists, but for sure a quality player on his day.

One thing that does intrigue me though, Klaassen gets a lot of stick on here, for being a flop. From what I understand, he has been doing well in Germany, looking to be the player he was before joining us.

Not to say he was a good player for Everton, but I don't ever remember him getting a serious run in the team in his best position.

But hey ho. He has gone.

Hopefully we can add some players who compliment Gomes.

Maybe this is a turning point for us where we can actually attract players who I truly believe are world class. Gomes is world class. So elegant on the ball, skills like we haven't seen in a long time in a blue shirt. And make no mistake, Blues, for 㿂 million in today's disgustingly inflated market this is a steal. I don't think I've been this excited over a player since we signed Lukaku permanently just because he had already banged the goals in for us and he was exactly what we needed at the time.

Maybe the days of Tosun, Bolasie, Vlasic etc have gone and maybe we can now aim towards the very best. This is a great signing. How about another two loan signings this season like Gomes & Zouma. Go and get players who are sitting on the bench at big clubs such as Madrid, Barca, Atletico, Roma, Napoli, Inter and make them an offer they can't refuse along the ‘come here, break into the team, play well, the fans will love you, build your reputation back up and then, come the end of the season, we will talk'.

I've been very critical of Silva but one thing I can not argue with are his signings, whether they are his or not. He hasn't signed a Niasse or Sandro yet. He's gone out and bought very very good players. I'm delighted as a Blue right now. Also delighted that the red lot haven't spent a penny yet and we are now up and running. Come on, you Blues. Make us believe.

An important piece of the puzzle but there are a few more to bring in this summer if we are to really threaten the top 6.

Nice to see Eugene R may be emerging from his period of dormancy.

In fact, if we got a great offer for Bernard, then I'd replace him with Bertrand Traore or Neres or Malcom or someone else that scores goals. Bernard in a front 3 needs to be hurting teams more

But I massively digress: Gomes to dictate play, score 5+ a season and please oh please beat the shite (and dominate them again, like you did last season)

Time will tell.

The pieces are gradually coming together nicely, I said on here a while back that I believed it would be 㿃M so it's slightly less, which is great news in terms of the new crazy prices that are being bandied about.

Hopefully Zouma will not be that far behind him, as Neil Copeland mentioned, with it looking increasingly likely that Lampard will be stepping into the Chelsea hot-seat, if Zouma has said as allegedly reported, that he wants to make the move to us too. It would be rare for any Manager to want to hold on to players who weren't fully committed.

Even with Chelsea's Transfer situation being as it is, they are not exactly short of players, and with Zouma's history there, he has been loaned out more than played, that should also send a clear message, both to Zouma and Manager alike.

- My dad speaking of players that have endless time and space without (apparently) moving a muscle(which Gomes has).

- Steve Ferns pointing out the fact that he'd bury the ball into Digne's midriff, knowing it was safe, vs a slow, safe ball into the (majority of the) rest.

I hate the comparisons with Arteta, but he's the only one we've had since, I reckon(!).

Now he's ours! For cheaper than Bolasie 3 years ago, no less??

Congratulations again, Blue Bill 🤷‍♂️

Well done to all involved at the club, a good fit for both parties.

Brands still is our most important signing of the last few years. Knows what he's doing.

Kase @48, I don't think selling Bernard would be a good move, especially if we replaced him by any of the players you mention. Bernard now has a full season in the Premier League behind him and all the players you mention are unproven in it.

It would be a bonus if he could manage to get on the score sheet, even if it was only 5-6 a season, but I think we have to resign ourselves to him being more of a wizard and provider.

Having said that, I believe this coming season may be a make-or-break season for Calvert-Lewin; we all love the lad, his enthusiasm and effort can't be faulted, but strikers are measured in terms of goals. As he has shown so many times, he gets in great positions, but too often fails to convert.

Not true. Barca's buy-back policy is for young players who are considered to have the potential for future stardom, like Yerry Mina (who reportedly carries a 㿣m buy-back option in his sale agreement). Players who are perceived to have failed at Barca are sold without buy-back options. Gomes's tenure there was considered a complete failure and, with the arrival of Frenkie de Jong, I believe there's no way in the world Barca would consider a buy-back.

If there was a holdup, IMO, that wasn't it.

The Gomes deal is great. He is pure class. I forget who we were playing but I can still see in my mind's eye a curling 40-yard pass he pinged up the right wing at Goodison to I think Theo Walcott. It was a thing of beauty.

Up the Blues!!!!

But normally if they don't tie you up one way, they will get you another. They are renowned for putting in clauses such as add-ons. ٠ million in add-ons is chicken feed today.

I started getting angry about our ability to negotiate a decent deal for a player about three years ago... I honestly began to wonder if we hadn't gained ourselves a reputation of being a soft touch. I'm hoping this represents a change of attitude, a tougher line.

I don't know if Brands actually sits at the table or not, but Whoever did the negotiating here has already earned his/her money.

I think our window will be harder than everyone else's. We don't have European football to offer to those coming in and the deadwood we are trying to shift seems so much deader than everyone else's.

Eugene #59,

"Brevity is the soul of wit." - Shakespeare

Nice to see you.

However, if it is true, then perhaps he is not a "natural" goalscorer – and therein lies the problem?

I'm sure we all hope that he finds his "shooting boots" this coming season as he seems to have all the other attributes needed to be a successful centre-forward.

On to Zouma, I hope I am wrong but I think the first thing Lampard will do is say he wants Kurt to stay and promises him game time. I suspect we need a Plan B well and truly researched on that one.

A new signing! Cracker. And I saw him at John Lennon, so hope springs eternal!

I'm pleased mainly because he is better than what we have, brings continuity to the squad, and seems a positive character to have around.

In terms of ability, he certainly has it but in terms of efficacy, I'm not entirely convinced. It's not enough to show some nice touches and composure in the middle and just knit play together.

A top box-to-box player must be making tackles and interceptions and also creating chances for his teammates whilst scoring a few himself. Gomes's records in these fields were pretty low last season. I hope that with a good pre-season and being settled with a team and manager who believe in him Gomes can improve in these areas.

We've been so starved of technical prowess in the middle that we may over-value it now but we must not be satisfied with the odd snazzy turn or Hollywood pass, Gomes must be looking to affect games more directly and more consistently. I hope he can. Welcome and good luck, Andre.

Now, having established that Barcelona are Everton's feeder club ;-), and that they are about to sign Greizman, can we take one of their surplus forwards on loan, maybe Dembele or Malcom?

For me, I have a totally different view. Gomes is an absolute steal. He has been criticised for his inconsistency, his fitness, his goals, his assists and even for being a failure at Barca.

In terms of consistency, to my eye, every time I watched him at Valencia or Portugal, he was their top performer. He went to Barca and was brilliant at first but was then hindered by injuries and loss of form and psychological problems which can happen at the biggest club in world football. The criticism of being a complete failure there is nonsense and more accurately is that he didn't live up to the billing he promised. For example, if you compare his record for Barca to Dignes then he definitely had more success than the Frenchman but none of us are doubting the acquisition of Digne on that basis.

In terms of assists, that is very much down to the players you have around you. When he has put players like Calvert-Lewin, Tosun, Walcott and Bernard through then it only becomes an assist if they score. Hopefully this season his tally will be different if we were able to have the likes of Neres and Kean finishing the chances off in addition to our only recognised finishers in Richarlison and Sigurdsson.

The one criticism which I do think is fair is that he needs to get to 5 goals a season and hopefully he will improve in this department. However, even if you look at most of the players in his position outside of Man City, only Tielemans would be looking at double figures, so I see his primary role to boss the game and goals as a bonus.

In this regard I really feel like we have the 2nd best midfield partnership in the league and with a full preseason and having an English winter behind him I fully expect him to prove this.

For me, had he not had these doubts, he wouldn't be coming here and especially at this price, he would be still at Barca or another elite club, so, in a way, I'm glad he has these doubts.

I know these players are told what to say to butter up the fans but you get the feeling with him that he is genuinely happy to be here.

I heartily echo what others have said that our incoming transfers are increasingly reassuring and inspiring.

December 1982, a 26-year-old lad arrived, he played midfield and things began to change distinctly for the better thereafter.

Welcome home, André Filipe Tavares Gomes, welcome home, mate.

"Once Everton has touched you ".

Handled brilliantly in my opinion and I look forward to Andre's tweet to the big man when he signs, something like "What kept you, bro?"

Another blue, another person who thinks the past can be recreated.

Forget 1982. How about 2019?

I'm certain beyond almost any doubt that Silva, Brands and Moshiri are not trying to sign replicas of players for the early 80s.

Living in the past and although it is important and special to remember those days. They are gone. And any success we have had is long in the past.

There is a transfer tug of war at Barcelona and apparently Malcom is in the Middle.

Okay, I'll get me coat.

The 'sliding doors' style episode at the Bowling Alley, in which two parallel stories unfold with different scenarios, one with the father Hal taking the boys to a bowling alley, and the other with the mother Lois taking them, is a classic.

Wouldn't say no to Malcom in the Middle (or on the flanks) at Everton, either.

Zouma next. Then Neres and Kean and I believe we'd be set for next season.

Just sales to get through and out the door – tough job that though – they're mostly like those floating turds that won't flush away!

Back to football - would very much like to secure the season-long loan of Dembele out of the two; the way he tore the Bundesliga apart was incredible to watch. Given they likely have Neymar coming back too, there's surely room.

His #7 shirt is free too...

Another blue, another person who thinks the past can be recreated.

No, I don't, Tommy @84. You attributed that opinion to me. Keep your off-target opinions of others to your self.

I hope fans are patient and allow him to just enjoy his football.

Welcome home, André. I now have a favourite player.

Your version of events there simply isn't accurate. He wasn't "brilliant at first" or ever... I'm a regular Barca watcher, and he was certainly competent through 2016-17, starting some games and subbing on in others, but rarely having a major influence. Furthermore, he was never "hindered by injuries" during his time at Barca... his only injury was a hamstring strain that cost him four games in late 2017. Check the record -- his only long stretches of absence were in 2018 when his psyche collapsed and Barca essentially gave up on him. The only major injury of his career has been the hamstring tear he suffered last summer on tour, shortly before he was loaned to us.

Anybody can fail in the crucible of Barca -- ask Coutinho -- and there's no shame in it. I would argue that Digne was not viewed by the club or fans as a failure, but just a victim of circumstances in being trapped behind one of the best left-backs in the world and having little hope of a regular starting role. Gomes played a lot more than Digne because he did have every opportunity to become a regular starter, but he simply couldn't do it.

Either way, I'm glad they're both with us. And like you, I view Gomes's permanent transfer as an absolute steal.

Alex

I apologise. But what has Peter Reid got to do with anything?

I heard he's going for a song!!

Well done, Marcel (and Marco).

Welcome back, Mr Gomes.

Now for a guy who scores 20+ per season and Zouma.

The prodigal returns – great! Just great.

I was making the same point as you that not making it at Barca is not a barrier to him signing for us. Digne yes he had Alba in front of him but he didn't get a game for PSG ahead of Maxwell who wasn't a superstar and If they considered him so highly as back up then why did they let him join us when Alba was reaching his 30s for such a paltry fee when Digne didn't instigate it?

Again when I'd seen him play he didn't cover himself in glory and I would argue Barcas midfield in 2016 wasn't too shabby either.

Like you I'm glad they are both here. Mike, can I ask you what you think of Mina? I'm hoping he will be a big asset this year and obviously he had a tough season last year. He looks a beast for his country and has that aura about him but he too was disliked at Barca. What's your feeling about him?

He has been described above as world class. I believe he is nowhere near that -- 6th, at best, on the team sheet behind Gana, Digne, Pickford, Richarlison and Sigurdsson -- but I do think that he will be a key supporting cog as we become a Champions League side.

Well done, Brands now have a go at getting Wissam Ben Yedder from Seville, who apparently has a 㿐M release clause... although that may be just 'paper talk'.

I consider Mina a future star -- he's a joyful, staggeringly confident player with great defensive presence and a lovely touch on his passing. He's still raw, and I think he'll put us through an error-filled first three months of the season as he gains Premier League experience and works on his defensive fundamentals under Silva, just as Zouma did. But I continue to predict that by January we'll have one of the best young centre-backs in the Premier League.

The recent comments of his agent were brilliant to hear and the fact he feels he owes us, I'm hoping he will come back to preseason with that extra determination to force his way into the team.

With regard to how they viewed him, I seem to remember a lot of their journos commenting on how they mugged us off and I didn't think the fans were too enamoured by him there.

Both Mina and his agent have said all the right things, and by all accounts, he's an awesome kid, so I really expect him to bloom.

Mason?

Darren, that's cute. Actually I share your opinion of Mason as a centre-back, but obviously Silva doesn't, and neither of his managers at West Brom did either.

He was superb at Anfield in spite of his sitter. This was a sign to me of what he has to offer, not the games in which he inevitably lost form whilst trying to adapt to a new culture with the weight of a large transfer fee and ‘failure' at Barcelona on his shoulders.

In a similar scenario many years ago, we had a player of incredible ability who struggled to adapt in his first season at Everton. Marco Materazzi. We cashed in and the following season he was incredible for Perugia and earned a big move to Internazionale. International recognition followed as well as a goal in the World Cup Final. I'm not sure Mina has the same level of ability but he is just as big a character I feel. We should not make such a mistake again.

Develop Mason alongside him. Mason is another player with character. He backs himself and I like this. He lacks some of the physicality required but Yerry will compliment this. Mason perhaps has more ability on the ball than Mina. I think, with time, they could be a very good centre-back partnership for many years

Fingers crossed for a solid pre-season from him, it will do him the world of good having proper preparation for the season.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this, but I don't expect to see Mason at centre-back again for us.

We all have our preferred way of playing; if Silva's next few steps send us on an upward trajectory, Holgate will swiftly be forgotten... but there's the rub.

For some inexplicable reason, players who are left out in the cold become better players in the eyes of the fans when the team is not doing well. Silva will feel the full force if things start going a little Pete Tong.

I'm not just talking about the centre-back position. I shudder to think of the abuse Silva will get if Seamus has a bad start, or if his gamble of not signing a striker goes wrong and Calvert-Lewin continues firing blanks.

I guess that's why they get paid the big bucks!

We are still 7th material, though, unless we really push the boat out on 2 or 3 top 6 quality players. Difficult to get those players to come I know but we have improved our profile I'd say.

Whatever, I think we will have a good entertaining season that cements our standing in the Premier League.

Really well done Marcel Brands and Everton!

Now my only "negative" comment:

Please, André, don't give away silly, stupid fouls in dangerous positions!

That's his one weak point – he sticks in a leg 20 to 25 yards out from our goal too often for me.

I'm sure Silva will rectify that tendency, but it does concern me.

But, on the whole, I'm thrilled with this signing.

I'm not sure about that. With our team now under Silva for a year, playing together for a year, knowing where one another are on the pitch and teammate's tendencies and preferences.

I see improvement coming, and a few of the "Top 6" in flux.

I have high hopes this season. Cautious hopes, but hopes nonetheless. I'm not so sure breaking that Top 6 is unattainable, even if we don't sign 2-3 players.

Hope springs eternal.

Sadly, it affects young players. Ruined James Vaughan. Fucked Ross Barkley... and is fucking young Tom.

I'd argue Davies has gotten much, much better in regards to playing the tough guy and trying to impress, committing fouls too often.

But I don't see Tom Davies in an objective light. I love the kid, and want him to succeed desperately.

But TTIS is a real thing, and affects a heck of a lot of footballers.

Let's hope Andre suffered from TTIS, and it's not a common part of his game moving forward. He's got oodles of talent, and he's a great, great signing.

Lukaku and Barry were massively important to Roberto Martinez's team as loan players, they were signed and kept up there side of the bargain, but we went backwards.

For me both are big players, both are important, and I see Mina like a new player too, but we need more.

Oust Mirallas, Bolasie, Niasse, Martina, Steklenburg, Besic, McCarthy, Walcott, Tosun and any other high-paid player who isn't getting valuable minutes and replace with literally anyone who the gaffa 'n' Brands thinks worthy.

There's a lot of work to be done, maybe too much for one window, but these players are bleeding the life blood out of the club and need to be paid off and shipped out to allow for the club to flourish.

I don't think he's ever going to have that lateral pace or acceleration that can be very useful though. He needs a partner with good recovery pace to make up for that.

I suspect that Mina and Zouma might be Silva's long term centre-back wish. Whether we can get the Frenchman from Chelsea I remain doubtful over.

Gomes is a good start. For me a dream window would be completed by Zouma, Malcolm, Moise Kean and Kenny Tete (a very decent young right-back who is underused at Lyon and would be cheap). I'd also love Ibrahim Sangare if Gueye gets bid for and asks to move.

I can't help thinking back to that game away at Fulham, mind...

The delay in signing him was probably Barca hanging on and waiting for other bidders to come in, it looks like they didn't, strange nobody else wanted him???

It's good to hear he had his heart set on us and we weren't a second choice.

I am I have to say again surprised that no other clubs atleast tried to poach him, he has easy to see quality.

Anyway bargain price let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.

My biggest fear after the whole Koeman - Walsh false dawn fiasco was, after seeing how much money he had wasted, he wouldn't be willing to keep investing every summer.

We spent a lot of money last summer and look to be willing to do the same again this year.

It's a nice feeling to finally have faith in the men in charge at our club! Onwards and upwards, up the toffees!

The problem with Klaassen is we brought in three central attacking midfielder starters in one window and he wasn't going to be selected ahead of Rooney or Sigurdsson so his opportunities were limited. In the end, ironically by about November, we weren't playing anybody in the No 10 position!

Still, 㿄m for a player to be third choice, good going EFC! I liked Klaassen at Ajax but was puzzled we were going for him rather than their two wide attackers. Or Dolberg, although his stock has fallen. To me, he's a good system footballer, ill-suited to our team at the time, with its lack of pace and also whatever system Koeman was attempting to play.

I don't think we are far off agreeing, but obviously a couple more outstanding players would do no harm to our chances.

Off topic, I can't help thinking that Moshiri's Russian mate's money is getting mixed up with his!

Kenwright has made Everton into a fucking joke and you congratulate him (again). Everything you need to know about why Everton FC have become practically invisible in the last 25 years is encapsulated in that fatuous, nonsensical statement.

And I thought I had enough on my plate with moronic Liverpool "fans".

You're barking up the wrong tree with Bill Kenwright, he was a caretaker owner and, in the end, he got the top level finance that he'd promised all along. The club survived under his stewardship when it had little income, little right to survive, and several times came very close to going under.

Just out of interest, what would you have done different or better? You would perhaps have put your own money in? Do you not acknowledge the superb coup in getting Moshiri's money behind Everton at a time he could have picked any club? Do you not feel that the club is in a very good place now, mainly due to Kenwright's efforts?

We have a very professional set up now because, yes, mainly because of Bill Kenwright's vision for the club. As nobody really knows what was going on at the club over the bad years, I can't understand how they can criticise him so blindly. There are more myths surrounding Kenwright than King Arthur! Unfortunately some believe them.

And unfortunately, some continue to pedal rose-scented myths about BK AND continue to believe them.

Some will argue that he's done a good job (Martin #135) and some choose to blame the club's lack of success, over an extended period, on him.

I find it a bit of a pointless argument because neither side knows much about it to be perfectly honest, despite what they may claim.

I'd say the vast majority of us simply ignore the crashingly boring, repetitive argument when it comes up and choose to click over to more interesting topics.

No, you are wrong. He has lent the club a very sizeable amount on interest free basis with no fixed repayment period. Effectively equity. The amount was 𧵎M in the last set of accounts with a further 𧴜m post year end.

Look at the club's financials.

I remember posting a few questions over the years, like what the hell "ring-fenced" meant, but all in all I pretty much have always found the debate mind-numbing.