Liverpool could have egg on their face by full-time of their trip to Wolves on Saturday if Joao Gomes stars in front of Jurgen Klopp and helps the hosts to a positive result. Julen Lopetegui’s side moved for Gomes in a £15million deal with Flamengo as part of an overhaul in January which saw five players join the club last month.
Gomes was the most expensive of the quintet and could come straight into the team and make his debut against Liverpool, who were one of the sides chasing the young Brazilian. Spanish outlet Sport previously claimed that the Reds were serious in their pursuit of Gomes as they looked to beat the likes of Real Madrid to him, but Gomes ultimately decided to join Wolves.
This was despite the 21-year-old publicly stating his desire to move to Anfield. Responding to a question on an Instagram Live session, Gomes said: “Liverpool are a team I’d play for. I have the greatest desire to play. Playing in the Champions League is my biggest dream and that of my family, my biggest dream in football.”
If Gomes plays a part in Wolves getting a result over Liverpool it could leave the visitors looking especially embarrassed, as one of the reasons behind Wolves moving for the midfielder in January could have been due to their fear of already losing summer signing Matheus Nunes.
Reports claimed that Liverpool have a deal in place to sign Nunes in the summer for £44m, just a year after Wolves paid £38m to bring him to the Premier League from Sporting Lisbon. Whether the transfer materialises remains to be seen, but Liverpool’s interest may have been enough to bring Gomes to the club.
He may not feature against Liverpool, having not played a game since December as he sat out of Flamengo’s January fixtures due to his ongoing transfer saga, though Lopetegui did not rule him out of competing. “I think Joao is a good choice for the club, for the present and the future,” said Lopetegui ahead of the game.
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