As football rightly takes a break to deal with the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the thrills and spills of on-pitch action have been replaced with a transfer rumour mill that has shifted into overdrive. One name on the lips of football journalists with a keen eye on Chelsea is Angel Gomes, Manchester United’s youthful attacking midfielder.
The first player born in the 2000s to make his debut in the Premier League, Angel Gomes has been a Manchester United player since the age of six. Born in London to an Angolan father, he represents England at youth level and was a member of the under 17 team that won the World Cup in 2017. In a team that included current Chelsea players Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marc Guehi, Gomes registered two goals and one assist in a tournament that saw him captain the team twice.
A prodigiously talented attacking midfielder and one who has been compared to Ronaldinho and is the godson of former United player Nani, it may come as a surprise then that such a talented young player in Gomes may be allowed walk out the Old Trafford door.
Due to a contractual dispute with the United hierarchy, this Carrington graduate is entering the last six months of his deal. Demanding more than the handsome £25 000 per week United are offering and with his pathway to the first team seemingly blocked by new United signing Bruno Fernandes, per the Daily Express, the blessed number ten is set to walk away from Manchester for free and have his pick of clubs across Europe.
Capable in the attacking midfield role, on the left of midfield or centrally, Gomes could prove to be a shrewd signing for the Blues. The fulcrum of every young United side for the past five years, he has provided a consistent supply of goals and assists from attacking midfield, registering 20 goals and eleven assists from 47 appearances.
Yet to score or assist in a nascent senior career that boasts only five Premier League appearances, Gomes nonetheless boasts significant potential. Given how charitable Chelsea have been in recent seasons by allowing the likes of Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic to jump ship, pinching such a talent from United may well prove to be like a gift sent from above.
Sources: transfermarkt.com; the Daily Express UK.
By Dan Hill