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According to The Sun, West Ham look set to miss out on Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes as Everton appear to have secured a £22million deal.
What’s the deal, then?
The 25-year-old was on loan at Goodison Park last season where he was a first-team regular for much of the campaign as he made 27 Premier League appearances for the Toffees.
And The Sun also revealed that the Hammers missed out on the Portuguese international despite making a higher bid than Everton.
The London Stadium-based club offered the Catalan giants £25m to try and tempt Gomes away from Marco Silva, but he was adamant he wanted to remain where he’d spent all of the last campaign.
Hammers showing ambition that they have lacked in the past
What’s refreshing to see is the level of player the east London club are now trying to attract.
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The Irons have already signed Spanish international Pablo Fornals for £24m in what is a major coup given the promise that the 23-year-old has.
And the fact that they are bold enough to try and negotiate a deal with Manchester United over Issa Diop by demanding Anthony Martial shows how a side that finished 10th in the league last season is now standing up and demanding respect as a force to be reckoned with.
The Hammers may have been a little disappointed to miss out on Gomes, especially given their offer was the most lucrative, but it is not the be all and end all given they do already have options in midfield – Mark Noble, Declan Rice, Pedro Obiang, Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez.
Gomes is known as a player who keeps the play ticking over and has a diverse range of passing – but actually Rice, who is known for his tackling and ability to break up the play more than anything else – had a higher pass completion rate last season – 86% compared with Gomes’ 84%.
Irrespective of what he would have added to the side, for many years the bee in Hammers fans’ bonnet was the lack of direction and willingness from the owners to step up the cash and push their club on towards the top bracket of English football.
Without question they have begun this transfer window as a club who is set on building a deep, talented squad who can push on to bigger and better things.
