Gomes signs off with heartfelt goodbye message

Pity it didn't work out for him.

He bought in, and was always classy, always respectful.

Goodbye, Gomes, and genuine good luck to you and your family.

Hope he has a terrific future with his family. Incredibly talented on the ball.

A great playmaker who always played well in a 3-man midfield. Wishing him all the best.

I found it embarrassing at times and never once doubted that in Gomes we had a class act as person and player but in the case of the player someone who showed more than enough to suggest his worth but was never fully able to realise it for one fecking obvious reason.

What a lovely classy message!

I wish Andre Gomes nothing but family and footy happiness!

At times you were a beacon of light in a fog of mediocrity. A real shame injuries blighted what could have been.

May success for us be around the corner and the Gomes kids grow up to be proud of their association to a powerhouse of English footballing excellence!

Gomes did his bit under Dyche last season. He looked class in the Spurs away game and looked solid whenever he came on... The Lille loan seemed to do him good.

Looking back over his whole Everton career...It was just a pity that he suffered that horrendous injury because he never was quite the same player.

His Everton journey characterised that of a few players who signed... like Bolasie, Gbamin, and Delph. I've never known a club to have so much bad luck with injuries from big money signings like us.

Heartfelt message from Andre. Good luck as you refer, you're part of the family now as are your children. It will never leave you or them.

I saw him in his first season and he was really impressive as a deep-lying playmaker. Such an upgrade on Schneiderlin.

That injury did so much harm and it would have been great to see him return under the next few coaches but c'est la vie.

Classy player, person and deserves more respect than he sometimes got.

He made those around him so much better, and the Toffees ticking on and off the ball.

Thanks, Andre.

He was loved when he first came but the Son challenge destroyed him. Best of luck to him and his family, a class act.

Injury is a nasty occupational hazard for many footie players and careers are often cut short by many years.

Seamus did well to recover from his but alas father time has caught him up too.

I wish him all the best.

I've never agreed with people who tried to minimise what Son did.

He may not have meant to injure him, but if you look at the 10 seconds before, Gomes made him look a muppet, and he went in with a reckless challenge that was never going to get the ball.

We've bought some crap in the last 10 years.

Andre was easily one of the better ones.

He'll always have a special place in my heart as he was MotM in a 2-0 win we had at West Ham which was also the first ever win my boy saw as an Evertonian – him saying “Love you, dad” as we celebrated Bernard's second goal was honestly one of the happiest moments of my life.

So thanks, Andre, for that. Sadly, there were all too few games like that from there after the injury but I wish him all the best for the future.

He would fit into any football-playing side.

I wish him all the best.

I can remember watching him at Stamford Bridge and he looked visibly depressed at his own performance... almost as depressed as I was!

Likeable guy, but just a very expensive mistake, like most of Moshiri's big-money purchases.

Spot on!!!

The fact is it had no effect -- Gomes had only one goal in 40 games before it, and only one top performance, in the Pickford derby at Anfield (although I will bow to Colin's glowing memory of watching his work at The Hammers a few weeks later).

And as horrible as the injury looked, it was hardly a crippler. Gomes was back in training just 86 days later and missed only 14 games because of it. Barely more than a third of a season. What he was after the injury is exactly what he was before it.

That said, he was by every account a true gentleman and a brilliant representative of the club, diving wholeheartedly into EitC's activities and spending lots of time at Alder Hey. I'd venture to guess that a great many Merseyside children will cherish warm and grateful memories of him that have nothing to do with anything he did on the pitch. I'm glad his own memories of Everton will be similarly warm.

He does indeed seem like a nice guy.

Makes you wonder though, if Simon Davies, Morgan Schneiderlin and others had been injured like that, how people would be viewing their careers through rose-tinted glasses also?

You really believe fans en masse would have wanted to sign him, based on what we saw after that serious injury?!

There's no way we would have paid that sum of money on Gomes post-injury, even with our inept board... I remember him being an influential player from midfield in the initial loan season.

He never was a regular goalscorer... What he did have was more pace, and it was clear he had lost a yard of pace after the injury... There's no blue-tinted glasses from me or other posters.

We can all have a debate on how good he was before the injury, but it's absolutely undeniable that the injury affected him to some extent because his performances stunk the place out more often than not once he came back.

After all the accelerating mediocrity we have suffered through over the last three decades, I just pray that Everton will be able to play a style of football that allows for genius in our game. After all, we do love the individualistic genius of Alex Young and great practical genius of Alan Ball equally. One was a footballing artist and the other was maybe the first example of the near-perfect modern player.

I just want to thank Andre. You as a player I just totally appreciate.

Having said that I have to wish him all the very best in life and say that I think he would be an amazing signing for someone in Portugal or France again.

As a Barca fan I had watched him play for three seasons at 6 different positions before they gave up on him and mailed him to us. I knew what we were getting.

But one thing I never, ever remember him showing, either at Barca or Goodison, was pace. And I'm quite sure I wasn't the only one here who strongly opposed turning his loan into a purchase, especially at that price.

He is a top-quality human being. He is not a top-quality player. The Palace goal will always be a favorite memory of mine, and I'm pretty sure I will see him play fairly often in the future, because his rumored destination is MLS. He'll do well here.

Mind you, this is the one difference you and I have had in ages and I always value and look forward to your posts mate.

Lend us your hair for a night out.

Re his football, he's another marmite type.

Personally, I thought it was great to have a player with his ability at the club. Decent player, got frustrated at his tendency to give cheap fouls away especially at the edge of the box.

Another player, perhaps at the club at the wrong time or perhaps not suited to the rigours of the Premier League.

Classy message and wish him well elsewhere.

You played very well some games. Everton needed the points and I am grateful for that. You were weak under pressure and petulant with it, though lack of pace could account for some late tackles.

You did have a good work rate. The Son tackle which Son got away with, only to get caught out again at Chelsea the following week, did not help you. But you were never going to be a player to build a midfield around at Everton.

You will always be remembered by Evertonians.

I gave Iwobi, quite a bit of stick because I thought he used to break rank and cheat, but when it came to morals, he his the player, I have got the utmost respect for.

He could have easily stayed at Everton, and left for nothing this summer, but by going to Fulham, with only one year left on his contract, he massively helped out Everton football club, at a time when we needed it most.

That's some accolade when you consider the players he has played with.

Several managers failed to get the best out of him and farmed him out, but above all he still appreciated the fans. For that and for all the good stuff he did as an ambassador for the club (outstanding), he deserves a huge thank you and well wishes. A good guy, a top man.

His time at the club never had consistency of team, of manager, and he suffered injuries, all of which no doubt impacted on possible performance. It was not to be. But it's with thanks we wish him well, for he deserves that, without the brickbats.

Good luck, Andre, enjoy the MLS if you think it's right for you!

He got a bit of stick at times from supporters, and perhaps his game doesn't completely suit the Premier League, but for me he was a joy to watch at times, a Rolls-Royce before his injury and some might say a bit of a luxury player – which all seems reasonable.

Also, a fine-looking man… and my god, that barnet.

I still can't look at Son without real bitterness. A deliberate act of vindictiveness which was essentially pardoned by the usual bent system.

It finished Andre and I too could never accept the unacceptable level of disrespect he often received on here…. one of the reasons I don't come on much anymore.

Even in the last few weeks of this direst of seasons, he was one of the few players still able to protect the ball…

Thanks, Andre – for what might have been.

Unfortunately, another transfer that did not work out for us.

I saw him many times collect the ball, then that split second, looking for runners; unfortunately, there were no runners. That was his strength.

Just like Sheedy, not the quickest player, Sheedy didn't have to look up, he knew Inchy was on his way down the right wing and the rest is history.

Good luck, Andre, you're not finished yet.

For me, he was an example of Brands' policy of buying talented rather than effective players. Not quick enough, doesn't score enough, liability in the tackle.

Top, top bloke. I wish him all the best.

For the actual amount of minutes played, that's just nuts. Have no idea what portion of his wages may have been recovered through insurance when injured but we obviously got not a penny back on the ~£25M in loan and transfer fees paid out.

Another to add to the long list of very poor value-for-money players signed during the Moshiri era.

I'm amazed he was at the club for 6 years, to be honest – can barely remember his initial loan spell.

We can all look back at different players and have a view. Personally, I loved watching Gomes play in a 3 man midfield, where he had a defensive player beside him who allowed him to show his skill as a playmaker, because he was a great passer.

But when we played him in a 4-4-2, it never suited his game, and remembering back to his first Merseyside derby, he was outstanding. That's the Gomes I remember.

A shame fate conspired during his 5 years, in the midst of a football club in turmoil. But he is an Evertonian!

Good luck, Andre, in your next club!

I think he would be the first to agree that he never showed his full potential owing to various injuries over the course of his time with us. He was one of those players who did offer something extra last season (his 45 minutes away at Spurs last season being a good example) but those niggling injuries always seemed to hinder a consistent run in the team. A real pity.

I wish him well.

Sigh!

He could have, like many, just walked away. He didn't. Well done and good luck in the future.

Boy, do I have that t-shirt... feel his pain.

It seems unlikely that the injury he sustained didn't take something from him despite (or actually exacerbated by) the quick return.

But he definitely didn't have enough of what it takes to be a top performer in the tougher leagues, which - Tony - might well justify why he didn't do an ‘Iwobi' and leave the club before his contract ran down. I imagine his next contract will be on much reduced terms but somewhat bolstered by being a free signing. I think he was popular at Lille but I doubt so popular that they were prepared to pay Everton a transfer fee and meet his wage hopes. Don't know whether there were any serious enquiries for him or whether Everton would have allowed him to leave for nothing just to get his wages off the books.

I liked him enough in an Everton shirt to have wished him good luck even before the nice and seemingly genuine message he has produced.

Thanks, Andre, and good luck in your future!

Hence he would have to retrace and hang on to the ball for too long waiting for some movement from others. I for one am sorry to see him go but obviously his wages are far too high for us.

Good luck with the next stage of your career.

He hit a very brief purple patch at Valencia and has been trading off it (and his ex-Barca credentials) ever since.

I would have thought free (albeit not very glamorous) options like Josh Brownhill and Will Hughes are at least as good as Gomes, and would offer us much, much more.

Just watch the review: Son ran 20 yards to catch Gomes and caught him with an X-rated tackle. Nobody would ran that distance in full speed to catch an opponent just by sheer "youthful exuberance" (other than Rooney's game-saving tackle and subsequent game-winning assist for DC United). That was purely intentional revenge. Plain and simple. And when the tackle went badly, that coward cried his way out not only to try preventing a Red Card & subsequent suspensions, but also to provide his PR team with materials to preserve his perceived character.

Most disgusting part? Son never came clean and apologised.

Anyhow, Andre is pure class on & off the pitch. I wish him and his family nothing but the very best.

Frankly, I doubt he was ever suited to any club in the Premier League such was his languid style - and no top club ever had the slightest interest in signing him.

I suspect he and his agent, like many others "negotiating" with Kenwright, just couldn't believe their luck at the lavish contract offered them.

So he's gone, a £millionaire with no need of a job for life courtesy of our (horribly mismanaged) club.

Why on earth does he still need good luck? He's laughing all the way to the bank.

For us he's been about as memorable as Tommy Jackson.

I was cautiously optimistic that he could have a positive impact if he regained his confidence, which he had completely lost at Barca. I did try to manage expectations by pointing out that in 78 games in the greatest attacking machine in world football at the time, he had managed 3 goals -- all tap-ins -- and 4 assists.

I definitely gave him a chance. I saw the same lack of product. And I saw him give away three soul-destroying late free kicks that first season that cost us games and valuable points.

So yeah, I railed loud and long against buying him for £22M and paying him £112k per week. I still consider it idiocy. Surely we don't disagree on that?

Bernard was probably the most frustrating of the trio because he had some real skill. He looked like he was born with a ball at his feet but, for all his elegance, the guy seldom scored or created a chance.

When you consider we spent quarter of a million a week to pay him and Gomes, knowing Gueye and later Allan had nothing to offer offensively, it just highlights how poor our recruitment was in that wasteful era.

What the bloody hell are you on about? I don't know what him being right-footed has to do with anything for a start.

A technically gifted player, no doubt, but severely limited and, overall, a flop of a transfer.

If he's the best you've seen at Everton, then I don't know what you're on.

Although Idrissa banged a couple in towards the end of last season, he is hardly prolific, but does a job for the team.

Going back, Gareth Barry was hardly prolific, but did a job for the team.

Going back further, Reid and Bracewell had a combined total of about a dozen goals over a combined near 200 appearances between them.

Some midfielders score goals. Others do a job for the team.

Gueye, Barry, Bracewell & Reid could all defend. Gomes is an attacking midfielder who can't offer anything defensively and doesn't score (or assist for that matter).

Those players played in better teams.

I'm baffled that so many on here remember him being so classy on the pitch... one even describing him as "world class" when at his best. Sadly, I must have missed those bits.

For me, he will be added to the long list of highly talented footballers that failed at Everton. That may not all be his fault, but "world class" he wasn't, and never will be.

I do think his career was much below initial expectations that Evertonians had of him. I can think of at least 7 or 8 midfield players during my TV-watching Everton career who were more effective than him – Osman, Pienaar, Cahill, Arteta, Barry, McCarthy, Gueye, etc.

But, I think he was more productive than a lot of trash that was acquired in the Moshiri era – Schneiderlin, Bernard, Allan, Delph, Bolasie, Gbamin, Walcott, etc. And his career was not helped by the multitude of managers who walked through the Everton door – Silva, Ferguson, Ancelloti, Lampard, Dyche during his time here.

The stability of the Moyes - Kenwright era is not to be underestimated.

Tom Davies did as much work for EitC as any player.

In his time here, we signed Allan, Schneiderlin, Gomes, Gbamin, Delph to play as defensive midfielders – £150M in wages and fees?

Davies wasn't just a nice lad, he played more than all of them, won more games than all of them, and scored more goals than the lot of them put together.

Classy guy who always seemed to rise above the unfathomable hatred.

I won't hear a bad word against Tom. He never hid and was asked to play as a No 8, 10, box to box and central defensive midfielder under Koeman, Allardyce, Unsworth and Silva.

I was a midfielder at absolutely no level worth mentioning and being expected to play in those roles every week for 18 months must have eroded his development.

As an aside, regarding his personality, after a match in 2018, I got off the Lime Street to Euston train at the end with the time being about 11pm and he and Calvert-Lewin stepped off the train in front of me and were more than happy to chat and fist pump.

It's a massive shame he's not still a squad player for us as we could do with his flexibility and tenacity.

I'm sure Andre and Tom are nice blokes off the field. Stephen Naismith is a nice bloke too and had much more of an impact than either one of them. But when he left the general sentiment was “good money for a guy who hasn't quite made himself a starter.”

We all knew Naismith did a lot for charity and fans but I guess because he actually made an impact on the pitch we didht have to trump that fact to try and justify his time with us. Different story with Tom and Andre though one earned a relatively meager the other is a multi millionaire.

We all have our differing views on various players obviously. I still think the vastly overpriced Icelandic midfielder was one of our worst ever buys.

But everyone to their own opinion

What I meant was Gomes is the best naturally two-footed footballer at Everton I've ever seen. I appreciate technique in midfielders. Cheers mate.

Seeing as Tom Davies has entered the conversation, but I don't understand the the targeting

Opinions, yes. Criticism for individual poor performances, that's natural. I've done it, we all do it.

Michael Keane worries me.

But, like Tom and Gomes, once they are on that pitch representing Everton, I am fully behind whoever is playing.

I don't think Gomes was anything out of the ordinary in terms of ambidexterity. He was certainly much better on his right. Barkley and to a greater extent Rodwell were both better in that regard. Louis Saha too.

Even Aidan McGeady.

He's put some "timber" on!! I guess it comes to us all.

I was coached to use both feet by my German coaches as a youngster, which helped me later on, as I could be switched and play in different positions. I used to coach it into the youth teams I coached.

But, some of the best players have been one-footed. I won't mention his name, but you know who I mean!!

It's a good attribute, but not the be-all and end-all.

Sigurdsson: 156 games, 31 goals, 25 assists.

Gomes: 114 games, 4 goals, 7 assists.

Who was the better investment?

So he did have a left foot. But I never saw him do anything else particularly special with it.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant about Tom Davies. I criticised him, once, as being a slow learner with some of the same mistakes being made in different games.

But I also understood he played, like a few others, under a few managers in the time he was being introduced to the game and he never went missing, never let the groans get him down, and gave his best all the time he was on the field.

It's nice that other Everton fans recognise some value in Tom. I hope he has a good career with Sheffield Utd and carries on playing and earning a good wage.

I will look forward to hearing something similar from Dele Alli… who spent more time in London than Merseyside during his time here.

Three international managers and two Champions League winning managers have played Tom Davies when he was fit. It was more his lack of abilty which stopped him being top class than his ability to learn.

Koeman said he had an excellent understanding of the game. He was "positionally excellent" according to Unsworth. Allardyce said he was very impressed by his professionalism. I think Ancelotti summed him up perfectly. "He doesn't have the quality to be Number 10, but he has excellent tactical awareness."

Later, when asked as Real Madrid manager, Carlo described him as an excellent professional. "He cannot play No 10 but, when you play three midielders, he can play in all three positions, because tactically he is very intelligent."

Davies clearly made the most of the talent he had, living the dream 155 times. I said I thought he rose above the hate he received from a vociferous minority, but having read some of the quotes from his managers. I don't think he gave two hoots about anything ignorant haters had to say.

Well I won't argue about his ability good, bad or indifferent whatever. I always thought he was an honest player who played the best he could in every game he played for the Blues and never shirked in any of those games. He just loved playing football and certainly thought it was an honour to play for Everton.

Wish him well, though he absolutely robbed the club. 120k a week over 5 years? Just the 31m quid