Rumour Mongering: Wolves’ Joao Gomes Catches Liverpool’s Eye
Memories of Southampton circa 2014 to 2016.
Liverpool FC have been linked with Wolves left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri recently, but today, a teammate of his is being linked with the Reds. 23-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder Joao Gomes is the name being linked with a move to Merseyside.
Speaking on his Transfer Mailbag show, journalist Ben Jacobs had this to say about the man nicknamed Pitbull de Raça (Dale!):
“Midfield is not as high on their list of priorities as a centre-back and wide player. But, I don’t think we can entirely rule it out and Liverpool really like Joao Gomes as well, so that could be one to watch in the coming months. But for now, midfield is not the priority.”
A glance at the Wolves beat suggests that Bayern Munich and Manchester United are also interested and that the Portuguese safe haven will not let the player go for less than £60 million. It’s also mentioned that Wolves are in a better position financially than they were but may still make another big sale after selling captain Max Kilman and would probably prefer to let Pedro Neto go instead of Gomes.
Considering that Gomes only moved to Wolves in January 2023 and his contract expires in 2028 (with an option for another year), 60 million is kind of reasonable for a player currently playing in the Prem, especially compared to other options on the market.
Ranked in the 99th percentile for tackling and 92nd in blocks across the top 5 leagues in Europe on his fbref profile, Gomes would bring hard-nosed tenacious defending and the engine to cover ground in the centre of the park. His potential fit with Liverpool FC is promising, despite the differences in playing style between Wolves and Liverpool. From previous rumours and activity, it does seem like Liverpool are holding out for a six who can do more than the Palhinhas and Ugartes of the world, and Gomes has a little bit of that, and can often be seen gliding past opposing players. He ranks in the 69th percentile of successful take-ons. However, his passing and aerial ability have some room for improvement. Again, part of that could be due to playing in such a limited side, but even at Flamengo, he didn’t seem to have much of a knack for passing outside of short passes.
Anyhow, if Liverpool do decide to move for him, they would seem to have the inside track. In August 2022, Gomes reportedly said:
“Liverpool are a team I would play for. Playing in the Champions League is my biggest dream and that of my family, my biggest dream in football.”
We’ll see if anything transpires with this one.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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