Flamengo midfielder Joao Gomes has claimed that he’d love to play for Liverpool one day.
In quotes from ESPN Brasil, 21-year-old midfielder Gomes said that Liverpool is a team he could see himself at.
“Liverpool is a team I would play for,” said the Brazilian. “I have the greatest desire to play. Playing in the Champions League is my biggest dream and my family’s, my biggest dream in football.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s any suggestion that Liverpool are interested in him. But seeing as The Reds could do with a midfielder right now, perhaps it’s worth taking a look at what he could offer.
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Despite being just twenty-one, Gomes has already played over 100 games for Flamengo. Playing deeper in the midfield, which can sometimes transform into a box-to-box role, he is a key man in his team.
“He is a player that has a unique characteristic in our squad in the offensive and defensive ball battles. He is very strong physically,” said manager Paulo Sousa in April via Globo.
These qualities have reportedly caught the attention of Manchester United.
According to Bola VIP in May, United sent scouts to monitor the progress of the young midfielder. Prior to that, Diario Do Fla reported that the Old Trafford club were looking to offer around £33m for Gomes.
In Liverpool terms, that would be a relatively big outlay on such a young and unproven player.
But there can be big advantages to signing young players from South America. As seen by Liverpool’s failure to land Vinicius Junior for a similar sized fee in 2017, not backing these players in their early years can become costly.
There’s also a strong possibility that with the right coaching, these kind of fees become a snippet of the player’s future value.
Of course there’s risk attached with the big transition from moving to England from Brazil. But the rewards are arguably greater.
If United are aware of Gomes’ talents at Flamengo, then it’s unlikely that Liverpool won’t be, too. Perhaps his latest comments could just alert The Reds talent spotters to take a closer look.
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