Everton beat West Ham United to Andre Gomes this summer.
Everton’s new signing Andre Gomes has told the Liverpool Echo that he made the Toffees his first choice this summer amid interest from West Ham United.
The Toffees took Gomes on loan back in August 2018, making him their third signing from Barcelona having landed Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina.
Gomes didn’t start a league game until October, but once he’d picked up his fitness levels, he became a key player for Marco Silva at Goodison Park.
Gomes struck up a strong partnership with Idrissa Gueye, and it was no great shock that Everton pursued his signature when his loan deal ended.
Everton have now secured a £22million deal for Gomes, signing him permanently in an impressive deal by Marcel Brands in the current market.
What’s interesting is that Everton weren’t the only team keen on Gomes. The Daily Mail reported that West Ham United made an attempt for Gomes, but he rejected them to hold out for Everton.
Gomes has spoken about the situation today, and claims that he didn’t actually know the offers coming in for his signature, as he left the situation his brother – his agent.
Gomes did though suggest that the West Ham snub may have come because he made Everton his ‘first option’ all along, meaning many other offers could have been snubbed too.
“I wasn’t wondering about the situation. I didn’t know the offers around me,” said Gomes. “I just talked with my brother, my best friend, my agent. I told him I preferred to stay here. Everton was the first option,” he added.
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