Barcelona: Andre Gomes linked with two major Serie A clubs
The Portuguese international could be handed a lifeline after a tough spell at Barcelona.
According to Sport, Napoli and Lazio are both interested in signing Gomes. Ernesto Valverde gave him a chance last season, but he didn’t impress and became a periphery player. He failed to score or provide an assist in any of the three major competitions. Across those competitions, he played in a total of 1185 minutes. His role means he is involved in the final third, so this is completely unacceptable.
Philippe Coutinho has been the complete opposite since he came in with 10 goals and six assists in all competitions. He had the impact that Gomes was supposed to bring, while the 24-year-old hasn’t shown anything of note over the past two seasons. The worst part about his displays is his total lack of confidence, which means he is unwilling to take risks. There was hope that he would eventually settle in, but nothing has changed, so he needs to go.
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Lazio are interested because they need to plan for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s departure. He is still at I Biancocelesti, but there are a number of top clubs interested so a summer move is highly likely. Gomes could thrive in the slower tempo of Serie A where he would have more time to make decisions. The high quality of his teammates seems to influence a lack of responsibility from him. Therefore, it might suit him to have a central role at Lazio under Simone Inzaghi.
Napoli are also having to deal with change because Carlo Ancelotti has replaced Maurizio Sarri as manager. This means Sarri’s team is being dismantled by the top European clubs, while Ancelotti also brings in his targets. Jorginho and Marek Hamsik are likely to leave, so Gomes could fill a midfield role. Although they do have the talented Piotr Zielinski as a long-term replacement for the Slovakian midfielder.
How does this impact Barcelona?
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His departure would free up part of the wage budget for the incoming transfers. Arthur is due to join either this summer of in January. Antoine Griezmann has been heavily linked as well, while the club has been linked with numerous midfielders and defenders as they aim to strengthen for next season.
There are a large amount of midfielders, with a few offering little, so transfers such as this one would potentially free up space for some of the La Masia graduates to come through. The club will make a loss on Gomes financially, but this would be a good move. This transfer will be seen as a massive failure, though. Some players just aren’t able to deal with the physical and mental demands of playing for the club. However, it would be nice if Gomes is able to rejuvenate his career elsewhere.