Everton Complete Double Swoop for Barcelona’s Mina & Gomes
By Tom Power
Superb deadline day for Everton sees centre-back and centre midfielder join Silva’s revolution
Everton‘s stunning final day of the summer transfer window has seen them confirm the arrivals of Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes from Barcelona.
The Toffees lured two more of the Catalan club’s players to Goodison Park on permanent and loan deals respectively on Thursday.
The club took to their official social media outlets – Twitter included – to unveil the duo as presumably the last pieces of business of a busy period for the club’s officials and medical staff.
https://twitter.com/Everton/status/1027635036185612288
Mina joins Everton on a five-year contract for a fee thought to be in the region of £27m, while Gomes jets in on a season-long loan deal.
Mina, who impressed for Colombia at this summer’s World Cup, had been pursued hard by the Blues since his exploits in Russia.
A deal had seemed dead in the water but, on the last day before the window slammed shut, a breakthrough was achieved.
Barcelona can buy the centre-half back for around £30m if he does well at Goodison but, for now, he is an Everton player.
Speaking about why he wanted to join, the 23-year-old told the club’s website that he discussed Everton with fellow teammate Lucas Digne – who played alongside Mina at Camp Nou – before making the switch.
Mina said that Digne had made him “keen to come here” and continue his rapid rise in the footballing world.
Gomes, meanwhile, had struggled to force his way into Barcelona’s side on a regular basis last season.
He cited Marco Silva as a key reason behind leaving Catalonia for England and claimed that “everyone in Portugal” knows of the 41-year-old’s “qualities” as a manager in his interview with Everton’s site.
The pair underwent medicals at Barcelona on Thursday and passed them with flying colours to complete their switches before the 5pm deadline.
Gomes and Mina could be registered in time to face Wolves in the Premier League opener this Saturday, but that game may come too soon for them as they look to bed in at Everton.
The duo should, instead, be available for the home clash with Southampton a week later and may line up alongside fellow new recruits Digne, Richarlison and Bernard.