Sean Dyche delivers a ‘frustrating’ judgement on Andre Gomes as the midfielder nears a return to Everton.
Andre Gomes has had a “frustrating” season, according to Sean Dyche, as the Everton midfielder nears a comeback from injury.
Gomes spent last season on loan with Lille in Ligue 1 and was widely anticipated to leave Goodison Park this summer as the Toffees looked to offload his rumoured £120,000-a-week wages, with Dyche in particular eager to find a solution for the midfielder [Team Talk, 6 September].
No such deal materialized, and the 30-year-old is now poised to return to play with Everton’s first-team after been in and out of training with injury, although Dyche has revealed the Portuguese midfielder pleased him during training.
He told the Liverpool Echo on Friday (29 September): “He’s back on the grass with us.” Andre, he’s running out of gaming time. He’s been doing well in training with us. He’s had some minor injuries, but they happened so close together that he was injured for about 10 days, then back for a week, then hurt again.
“It’s been very frustrating for him, and he desperately needs game time now because he’s nearing the end of his training period to ensure his body is good and strong.” But he’s definitely a player I’ve enjoyed watching in practice. He’s played a handful of games in between injuries, and we’re hoping to get him back soon.”
Few would have expected at the outset of the summer that Dyche would be praising Gomes and promoting him for a return to first-team action in September, given the 30-year-old’s lack of playing time at Goodison Park in recent seasons.
When Gomes is fit and firing, he offers something distinct to any other player in the Toffees’ midfield. The question for Dyche will be whether or not he believes he can get the best out of the midfielder.
Unless Gomes has established himself as a consistent starter at Goodison Park, you’d think Everton would be eager to get rid of the Portuguese’s exorbitant salaries as soon as the transfer window reopens.
Until then, they might as well try to extract as much value as they can from him on the field rather than simply paying him to sit on the bench. After all, Dyche’s squad lacks midfield depth, so the 30-year-old may be an extremely useful option.
In other Everton news, Sean Dyche has remained tight-lipped on Jarrad Branthwaite’s new contract speculation.
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