“Pure quality” midfielder still on Chelsea’s radar as rise to top of Ligue 1 continues | OneFootball

Our writer Simon Phillips is always on the ball, and today on his Substack he’s brought up a really interesting story involving one of the rising stars of this season – Angel Gomes.

The former Manchester United midfielder has become one of the top players in Ligue 1 after taking the risk of leaving the Red Devils in 2020 to join Lille. It was a risky move, but it’s paid off. It could have all been very different, however. Phillips reported at the time that Chelsea were interested in the youngster, but ended up passing on him because of concerns about his size and physicality.

Well, the now 24 year old has made a mockery of those concerns. He looks great in league action, and he’s becoming a regular for England under interim boss Lee Carsley. Roy Keane raved about his performance for the Three Lions against Finland yesterday, calling the midfielder “pure quality” after watching him run the sho.

This isn’t a case of missed opportunity from Chelsea however – the same reasons that Gomes left Manchester United (fear of a lack of “pathway” to the first team likely would have meant he ended up turning us down anyway.

Angel Gomes in midfield for England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Chelsea could return for old target

Phillips now claims that Chelsea are back in for Gomes. Currently rated at €28m by TransferMarkt, we expect that number to rise and rise as he racks up England caps and continues to impress in domestic football.

With a contract that expires next summer, things might start to move very quickly in this chase. Either Lille will tie him down to a longer deal, or another team will be pushing hard to sign him up. If he doesn’t sign a new contract, expect a feeding frenzy in January, with the French side keen to get a fee rather than let him go for free.