Gomes re-finding his form at Lille
André Gomes appears to be as happy as he has been at any time since his remarkable comeback from a broken ankle was derailed by the Covid-19 lockdown three years ago.
The former Portuguese international has been reestablishing himself as a first-team regular at Lille this season after joining the French club on loan from Everton last August and appears to be enjoying his football under compatriot Paulo Fonseca.
Though he a stunningly swift recovery from a horrific fracture dislocation of his ankle during a home game with Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, Gomes struggled for consistency with the Blues once football resumed from the pause that was brought about by the onset of the pandemic in the following spring.
He played under three different managers in that time but was uable to make a convincing argument for his consistent selection as a first-choice option in midfield as the Toffees struggled under Rafael Benitez and then narrowly avoided relegation last season under Frank Lampard.
With Idrissa Gueye coming in from Paris Saint-Germain and Amadou Onana arriving at Goodison Park last summer, ironically enough from Lille, Gomes's prospects of being an automatic starter appeared to be further diminished, he seized the chance to join Fonseca and good friend Jose Fonte in Ligue 1 for the season.
As he tells Paddy Boyland in The Athletic, it's a move that has paid off and while he doesn't know what the future will hold for next season, the last of his five-year contract with Everton (Lille did not negotiate a buy clause to make the transfer permanent), he says he is just focusing on what is happening now.
“Last season, not playing that much, was a trigger for me to say, ‘I need to play and show myself I can be at that level again’. The move in the summer was very tough but I needed it,” Gomes said.
“I think I made the right decision,” Gomes continued, admitting that he feels much more at home in a more advanced role as opposed to No.6. “I’m playing a lot and feel confident.
“I have no idea (what comes next). At the end of the season, we will see. I want Lille to qualify for Europe and Everton to finish in a good position. I’m taking my time and enjoying my football, getting confidence back.
“I’m just focusing on playing and showing myself again."
Quotes sourced from The Athletic [£]
Reader Comments (30)
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2 Posted 07/04/2023 at 20:47:00
Add to being in a dysfunctional set-up, and a clear lack of fitness training, he became more and more of a liability.
Good to see him regaining confidence in himself and his game.
3 Posted 07/04/2023 at 21:08:39
He had a brilliant game versus Liverpool in the “Pickford†derby game and scored a great goal in a 3-1 defeat at home to Wolves. I can't think of any times he stood out; he was poor before he was injured and even worse after.
Another woeful signing, a big fee and huge wages which will keep him here until his contract is up even if we pay most of his wages for another loan signing next season. Another leech around the club's neck.
4 Posted 07/04/2023 at 22:56:33
And in the article, absolutely HEAPED the praise on everyone and everything Everton immediately after the injury, right thru the welcome he received the first time he ran back out at Goodison.
That was nice to read.
Interesting that when he started his recovery workouts, Mina and Richarlison would go home with him afterwards. Good guys.
5 Posted 07/04/2023 at 23:21:37
no wonder he loves us.
And we have an accountant in charge.
Sums up the Moshiri and Kenwright /DOF years in a nutshell, unfortunately there where loads of Gomes's, that's why we're in such a mess now.
And yet Billy Bullshit is STILL our chairman.
6 Posted 08/04/2023 at 00:19:46
7 Posted 08/04/2023 at 08:36:54
8 Posted 08/04/2023 at 08:39:05
This season shows that Andre's football IQ is still intact for him to be a good performer in a Continential League that is slower in pace. As much as I would love to see him play for us again, the Premier League is too physically taxing at this stage of his career.
Fingers crossed that we can flock him for a decent replenishment to the coffer in the summer.
Wherever he goes, I'll forever be a fan of his.
9 Posted 08/04/2023 at 09:03:11
10 Posted 08/04/2023 at 10:19:35
Firstly, they arrive here with a nice pay rise, a juicy signing on fee and a guarantee of no financial worries for at least 5 years.
Then there are no worries about poor performances affecting future selection. Whereas in a decent team, they may not get another chance in the starting XI for ages, here they know that their replacements are going to play as bad as they did and, in desperation, they will soon be selected again.
Fall foul of the manager, can't learn his tactics, no problem, he'll get the blame and soon be gone.
It's a great life being an Everton player!
(Unless of course, you desperately want to win something, then it might not be for you).
11 Posted 08/04/2023 at 10:41:03
However, it seems that in France he has rediscovered the form which once made him such an outstanding player at Goodison and a darling of the fans, myself included.
Andre Gomes is only 29. Form is temporary, talent is permanent. I hope he returns and Dyche gives him an opportunity to show once more, what a brilliant midfield asset he can be to the club.
In fact, if fully recovered from that dreadful injury against Spurs, he may well be the answer to our prayers.
12 Posted 08/04/2023 at 10:45:27
Maybe when Onana moves onto a ‘bigger club' there might be space
Also if we can't sign players ….
13 Posted 08/04/2023 at 11:09:57
He can have a good career, but not in a fast league with fine margins where athleticism and mobility often decide games.
I really hope he does well, and I'm gutted it won't be at Everton.
14 Posted 08/04/2023 at 11:14:44
As a club we need to target players with a point to prove rather than a bigger clubs cast off.
Wish him all the best in France and hopefully we can get a small fee back on him. Pay off a little of the Onana fee.
15 Posted 08/04/2023 at 12:08:04
16 Posted 08/04/2023 at 22:37:16
Oh and Son will always be a fucking shithouse.
17 Posted 11/04/2023 at 06:21:40
He's better suited to a league where he gets more time on the ball and I'm glad he's done well with Lille. Seems like a good guy. Hopefully we can get £5-8m for him and get his wages off the books
18 Posted 11/04/2023 at 07:54:47
Our scouts , recruitment or whoever drove this deal , have to shoulder some of the blame for recruiting him based on that . Especially with the 50 million fee and contract outlay. For a club like us this is too big an error to quickly recover from . From both football and P&S perspectives.
As Sam has said above, he needs that split second more time on the ball to strut his stuff. Opponent managers knew it from early on and pressed him relentlessly always forcing him into mistakes or coughing up possession, often initiating a counter attack and a goal chance. He became a liability.
His true value will become apparent in the summer with the level of offer we receive for him. But this loan has worked out well for us and concur with Sam's appraisals, hopefully we receive a decent fee (5-10m?) along with his huge wages off the books.
19 Posted 11/04/2023 at 08:06:56
20 Posted 11/04/2023 at 08:27:46
21 Posted 11/04/2023 at 09:06:03
Similar to what happened when we cut our losses on Allan's wages.
As for Nkounkou, he's doing well but at a low standard (French second tier) and he's just not a left back. With a year left on his contract I think we'll probably get a couple of million for him this summer too.
22 Posted 11/04/2023 at 09:59:50
Branthwaite
Cannon
Lewis Dobbin
Nkounkou
Warrington
etc
23 Posted 11/04/2023 at 17:49:50
I don't recall anyone complaining when Gomes was signed on a permanent deal in 2019. Indeed I suspect if Brands, or anyone on the board, had vetoed the signing opprobrium would have been heaped upon them. It was one instance of many when someone within the club's hierarchy ought to have intervened with some pertinent questions. What exactly will this player offer the team? How much will it cost? Can we afford it? Seemingly we had nobody with authority within the club prepared to ask such awkward questions and with the authority to say ‘no'.
24 Posted 14/04/2023 at 21:38:24
Everybody loved him when he came in, and he was a stand-out in an adequate midfield.
Son's shithousery destroyed his pace, and our basket case of a club exacerbated the problem with a succession of very different managers and grossly inadequate fitness training.
The net result was an inadequate version of Andre Gomes who couldn't live with the pace of the league. Better managed, who knows how he might have turned out.
25 Posted 19/04/2023 at 11:21:46
26 Posted 19/04/2023 at 11:41:13
Jeff, your correct. Son was seeking snidey retribution for a strong challenge in him from Gomes, that the ref didn't see as a foul, just a moment earlier and tripped Gomes who caught his studs and stumbled into Auriers tackle. Son didn't break Gomes ankle but he caused it.
27 Posted 19/04/2023 at 12:02:21
28 Posted 19/04/2023 at 12:18:50
Cried after he deliberately went about injuring a fellow player.
Shithouse is the correct Scouse vernacular to describe it.
Gomes is not every Evertonian's favourite player, but he was taken out cynically and injured.
Had that been an Everton player on St Harry Kane there would have been a criminal prosecution.
If we had a Peter Reid, he would have done a Marwood challenge on him. After Marwood done that to Inchy, Reid was waiting for the chance and left him on the floor.
29 Posted 19/04/2023 at 12:20:02
Overall I accept his shortcomings in the squad we had in ths league. With a different setup that plays to his creativity he is a worthy player.
30 Posted 28/04/2023 at 11:10:20
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1 Posted 07/04/2023 at 20:43:18
I thought he never recovered properly from that injury and goes down as yet another player being victim to the instability of Everton.
Good luck to him.