Why Everton should sign Andre Gomes permanently

Everton manager Marco Silva has expressed his desire to sign on-loan midfielder Andre Gomes on a permanent deal from Barcelona. (h/t Sky Sports)

The 25-year-old shone in Everton’s 1-0 win over Cardiff City last weekend, prompting the manager to claim that he would want to see the midfielder move to the Goodison Park on a permanent basis. Speaking to the media after the game, Silva said (h/t Sky Sports):

“I think in the right moment we have to do something to achieve one player like Andre. We have time to do that. We are happy with him, he is enjoying the moment here and I don’t think it is a good moment to talk every week because it’s better they (Barcelona) forget a little bit about Andre!

“You go there in the right moment. Andre is enjoying his time but we don’t want to put this pressure of a decision on him. It is early. At the end of the season we will talk to the players and with the clubs and after then we will take the decision or not.”

Despite a disappointing last season with Barcelona, Gomes arrived at Everton in the summer on loan amid plenty of expectations. With no pre-season behind him and carrying an injury when he joined the Toffees, things began anything but smoothly for the Portuguese international at Goodison Park.

The 25-year-old had to wait till October to make his first appearance for his loan club – a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. Since then, Gomes has gone on to feature four more times in the Premier League and the Merseysiders have lost just one of the five games that he has featured in (W3, D1).

While the 29-time capped Portuguese international might not have scored a goal or assisted one in his five matches till date, the impact that he has made since becoming a part of the team has been evident and he was at his brightest in the win against Cardiff City last weekend.

So far in his tenure with the Blues, Gomes has completed 53.8 passes per game on an average at an exceptional success rate of 87.4%, acting as the conduit between the attack and the defence. The midfielder also offers the drive and the forward thrust from the middle of the park for the Toffees, averaging 1.8 dribbles per game.

At the same time, the 25-year-old has contributed in the defensive side of things as well, completing 1.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.8 blocks per game.

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The midfielder has looked at home in the middle of the park for Everton, with his ability to dictate the tempo of the game and the awareness to start attacks swiftly. And he has been more than pulling his weight defensively as well, proving his worth to this team in a short period.

While it is too early to ascertain how things will go on from here for the Portuguese international, Everton must continue monitoring his displays do everything in their powers to make his move a permanent one.

Stats courtesy: WhoScored.com