Angel Gomes quickly moved away from the bustle of Marseille. It wasn’t really his will because his six months with the Marseille club weren’t really satisfactory. Arriving free from LOSC last summer, the Englishman was quickly thrust into the starting lineup by Roberto De Zerbi. He even started 6 of the first 7 Ligue 1 matches, settling for less playing time in the Champions League (only 4 appearances). Above all, he has gradually fallen back in the hierarchy, the fault of sluggish performances and tough competition.
Despite a half-volley voted the best goal of the month of September against Lorient, the player trained at Manchester United seemed to have his mark on the pitch. His slender physique had difficulty stringing together matches and putting himself forward in the last 30 meters, where he is expected. No doubt eaten away by a lack of confidence, in a team looking for its cruising speed which is, moreover, timid and smooth, Gomes ended up losing ground. While the pre-season was looking rather good for him, it was rather on the side of the transfer window flops that he was quickly put away. Internal support has not changed the situation.
A lack of character highlighted in Marseille
“I know that football is like that, you have good and bad moments. I find that there are a lot of matches, the coach makes his decisions, very tactical. Angel is someone who plays at a very high level and is very professionalassured Timothy Weah at a press conference in early December. He follows the coach. Today I’m proud of him because we’ve come a long way. We both meet again today in Marseille and I try to keep that with him. He’s my real brother and I try to do everything to make him feel good. We will fight together“. The presence of the American, very close in Gomes’ locker room, was not enough.
From the start of winter, the situation became complicated, to the point of becoming a candidate for departure from the January transfer window. Over the last two months of competition, he only played 8 minutes of Ligue 1 (in six matches) and had to be content with the Coupe de France where he shined, but against amateur teams (1 assist against Bourg-en-Bresse, a goal against Bayeux). After 20 matches played in all competitions (4 goals and 1 assist), the England international (4 caps) is loaned on a paid basis (€1 million) in the very last days of the winter transfer window to Wolverhampton with a purchase option of €7 million.
A back injury in his 3rd match at Wolverhampton
Gomes needs to get back on track to give himself a small chance of participating in the World Cup but the context is difficult. The club is the dunce of the season in the Premier League. Its situation is already desperate with more than ten points to catch up on the first non-relegation place. “It was important to join a club where I feel part of a team that aspires to something great», He said when signing, convinced of being able to perform under the orders of Rob Edwards, whom he knew well in the English U20s a few years ago where he served as assistant coach.
His new coach immediately placed his trust in him by starting him in the match against Chelsea (3-1 defeat). There was then this draw against Nottingham Forest (0-0) and especially this match last night against Arsenal, where the Wolves snatched a point after going two goals back from the leader (2-2). The evening ended much better than it started. Gomes was injured after 20 minutes of play, forcing him to abandon his partners. “It’s his back, it’s a bit of a strange injury… We’ll see how he goes, we hope he’ll be fine, but for the moment his back is blocked», railed his coach.
We do not yet know how long Angel Gomes will be unavailable (25 years) but there is reason to be a little worried about him. He had already experienced quite a few physical problems at LOSC (missing 14 matches last season), particularly with his calf. More worrying for him, the Wolves showed a better face after the exit of the midfielder, replaced by Tolu Arokodare. The London native did not score any points for the coming weeks which he risks spending on treatment before returning. This return to England is off to a bad start for someone in search of confidence and playing time.
