Ex-Barcelona coach Luis Enrique lauded Tottenham Hotspur target Andre Gomes’ ‘humongous potential’

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Andre Gomes has endured a miserable time at Barcelona but that has not stopped Tottenham Hotspur continue to make their interest clear.

Andre Gomes might have been a Tottenham Hotspur player already if Barcelona had managed to find a replacement with the hours closing on transfer deadline day, with Liverpool refusing to sell Philippe Coutinho to the Catalan club.

The Mail claims that was the only reason why Gomes, who does not appear to be in the plans of new coach Ernesto Valverde, did not get the chance to kick-start his career in North London.

Yet, the Daily Star reports that there is still a possibility the Portuguese international, who helped win Euro 2016, will end up working with Mauricio Pochettino sooner rather than later.

Spurs reportedly believe Gomes will become available again in the winter – though the 2016/17 Premier League runner’s up will be hoping the midfielder fares better in North London than he did in Catalonia.

Starting to fulfil the promise that saw former Barca coach Luis Enrique retain his faith in the out-of-sorts midfielder, who endured a disappointing debut season following a big-money move from Valencia, wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

“Andre has humongous potential,” Luis Enrique said after Gomes scored twice in a 7-1 thrashing of Osasuna in April, as reported by ESPN.

“I can and will say that 1000 times over, even if he is criticised a lot. He can play in different positions … he’s only using 30 percent of his capacity. Imagine him at 100 percent.

“He needs to improve emotionally but he’s at the best possible club to do that. He’s very demanding, very responsible and he has quality.”

Gomes certainly was criticised a lot, with a section of Barca supporters even taking to jeering the 24-year-old for his below-par performances.

Yet, if Gomes can recapture the form that made him one of La Liga’s most promising midfielders at Valencia, Spurs may find out exactly why Enrique was not willing to give up on his marquee signing.