Hmmm. Interesting stats FoF. Neves looks good there. This is two years old but worth a read as his Barca career isn't of any note.
Who is Andre Gomes? Scouting report on Portugal's Manchester United and Chelsea target
In contrast to captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s highly-rated midfielder Andre Gomes has shone - Pete Hall is in France and has run the rule over the Valencia star
By
Pete Hall
SPORT
Andre Gomes has started both of Portugal's games at Euro 2016 (Image: Julian Finney)
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Not since the days of Luis Figo in his pomp and Rui Costa pulling the strings have
Portugalarguably had as talented a squad for a major tournament as they do for Euro 2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to do it on his own anymore, with plenty of young, vibrant starlets proving their worth on the international stage.
The loss of Monaco’s Bernardo Silva in the run-up to the tournament was a blow, but in Andre Gomes, A Selecao have another creative midfielder capable of great things.
Part of the reason Portugal fashioned so many opportunities against Iceland in their tournament opener – the highest of any team in the opening round of Euro 2016 matches – is Gomes has that natural ability to unlock teams.
Nani and Ronaldo cannot complain about the service in either game, with the former having his goal against Iceland laid on perfectly by Gomes.
The 22-year-old is being tracked by Manchester United and Chelsea (Image: Matthias Hangst)
Cristiano Ronaldo can have no complaints about the service Gomes has provided him with (Image: AFP/Getty)
Gomes provided the assist for Nani's goal against Iceland (Image: Getty)
The 22-year-old made the most key passes of anyone on the pitch in the Group F opener in Saint-Etienne, despite being replaced in the final ten minutes, and again was only bettered by Ricardo Quaresma in that department in Paris against the dogged Austrians.
And even though Chelsea have reportedly been told they’ll have to pay £42m to prise him away from Valencia, in the modern market, such a figure for a fleet-footed livewire who can rejuvenate a faltering giant could be money well spent. Jorge Mendes is on the case…
Background
A complicated tale of third party ownership, loan-to-buy deals and super-agents have been a big part of the 22-year-old’s life.
He was by no means an early teenage protégé, spending the majority of his early footballing years in the Benfica youth teams, working his way up to the fringes of the first-team.
The midfielder began his career at Benfica (Image: Michael Steele)
That’s when football becomes secondary and money rules the roost. Gomes was sold to Meriton Capital Limited, which is headed by Peter Lim, the now Valencia owner.
He was then loaned back to Benfica for the rest of the season, helping the Eagles secured a first-ever Portuguese treble.
A loan move to southern Spain followed, with a view to buy, which was taken up after year, with Los Che buying up Gomes’s ‘economic rights’ - whatever that means – and he has excelled in a faltering Valencia side ever since. Even Gary Neville couldn’t dampen his effectiveness.
Gomes was one of Valencia's best players during a disappointing campaign (Image: AFP/Getty)
The 22-year-old will command a mammoth transfer fee if he leaves Valencia this summer (Image: Getty)
A relationship with Peter Lim led to Gomes being represented by Gestifute, Jorge Mendes’s company. A career in the shop window beckons.
Strengths
Ronaldo reigns supreme in the Portugal camp, and can pretty much do what he likes, but while the skipper openly flaunts his luminescence, Gomes is happy to operate in the shade. His passing accuracy is yet to drop below 87% at the Euros, despite only two Portugal players touching the ball more times over their two matches.
Gomes’s footwork and calmness in tight situations is exceptional, exemplified by neat play early in second half in Paris to feed the onrushing Raphael Guerreiro. He had no right to get away from two Austrian markers with such finesse.
Much like Paul Scholes in his Manchester United prime, he plays with his head up, always looking for a pass, more often than not a forward one.
Gomes has plenty of attributes which Paul Scholes also possessed (Image: Getty)
Gomes is the table-setter, not an answer to Portugal’s goalscoring problems. Playing with a great intelligence and showing admirable ingenuity he’s been Portugal’s standout performer so far, and must continue to create chances for Ronaldo and Nani if A Selecao are going to have any hope of progressing. They can’t keep missing chances, can they?
Weaknesses
While his role in the side is to create, Gomes needs to weigh in with more goals himself. Even if you get a mouthful from Ronaldo for not passing to him, Gomes has had just one shot on target at the Euros so far – full-back Vieirinha has had more.
The youngster must add more goals to his game (Image: Clive Brunskill)
Gomes only scored four times for Valencia this season and is yet to score for Portugal (Image: Clive Brunskill)
Gomes’s aura suits a team in the ascendancy. He doesn’t really possess the urgency or the directness of some of his team-mates, making him the one often substituted when chasing the game.
Portugal coach Santos has done so in both games so far, bringing on players capable of a more immediate impact.
Where will he fit in?
Both United and Chelsea are in desperate need of reinvigoration of the creative variety.
New United supremo Jose Mourinho has plenty of playmakers in the ranks, but whether they are of the calibre required is a different matter. Ander Herrera has suffered from inconsistency, and we all know what Mourinho thinks of Juan Mata. Gomes’s game could work well alongside reinvented midfield engine Wayne Rooney.
Juan Mata (left) and Ander Herrera are both incomplete packages (Image: Reuters / Andrew Yates)
Gomes could be the perfect midfield partner for Wayne Rooney (Image: Tom Purslow)
Chelsea will also spend big this summer, with incoming boss Antonio Conte given licence to completely revamp the faltering Blues.
Normally a fan of 3-5-2 – Conte’s weapon of choice throughout his glory-filled Juventus tenure – the Italian coach has been rather more adaptable in France with the national team, but still required ball players.
There is not an abundance of such at Stamford Bridge. Eden Hazard has started to find form again, and the different attributes Gomes and Hazard possess could be make them a dangerous double act.
Gomes could link up well with Eden Hazard at Chelsea (Image: Reuters)
What happens now?
Chelsea have reportedly already tabled one bid, which was deemed insufficient.
Rumours of a potential move to Old Trafford intensified when Gomes praised Mourinho – also represented by the all-powerful Mendes – labelling his fellow countryman a “great coach”.
Gomes has already described new United boss Jose Mourinho as a "great coach" (Image: PA)
The Peter Lim project has fallen flat at Valencia, and now would be a great time to jump ship. It may take some time for Los Che to rekindle their fire – something Gomes doesn’t have to wait around for.
Mendes’s relationship with Lim remains strong, but an inflated fee for Gomes’s services will certainly appease the Singaporean businessman and a deal that doesn’t expire until 2020 will be no match for the spending power of the Premier League.
