PROFILE | A stratospheric 2024 for Angel Gomes gives way to a more uncertain 2025
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Angel Gomes is not an unfamiliar name in football. After graduating with high hopes from the Manchester United academy at Carrington, the English midfielder has had a more unorthodox route to being the player he is today than most who go on to become England internationals.
In 2020, he made the surprising switch to Lille after being released by the Premier League outfit. Following 10 senior appearances for his boyhood club, the midfielder believed moving to France was the best choice for his development as a young player. A loan move to Boavista saw Gomes find his feet as a senior professional and ever since, the 24-year-old has been a regular fixture for Les Dogues at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Paulo Fonseca earned praise for the adaptability of his Lille team last season with their ability to flexibly change their playstyle based on their opponents and passages of play within matches. Whether playing in a more reserved role in a 2-0 victory against Monaco or in a more advanced attacking role in a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, Gomes offered the now AC Milan coach the versatility to utilise him in a number of different ways.
An unorthodox route to the top
During his days as a youth player for Manchester United, the versatile midfielder gained a reputation for being a goalscoring attacking midfielder. For example, he scored 10 goals in 25 Premier League 2 appearances. As his tactical understanding has increased, the midfielder has evolved and assumed a position as more of a creative force in midfield with the ability to drop deeper and play passes through the lines for more advanced runners.
Creatively, Gomes became the beating heart of Fonseca's midfield at Les Dogues last season as they went on to secure a Champions League spot by finishing 4th in Ligue 1. No player within the Lille ranks last season proved to be more creative than the Englishman as he registered eight assists in the French top flight, only one fewer than PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé, who topped the assist rankings in France’s top flight.
Representing England is something that the former Boavista loanee is rather used to. The midfielder was a regular at youth level, making a combined 53 appearances across the various age groups. In addition to accruing a half-century of youth caps, Gomes was a part of the Three Lions set-ups that were victorious in the U17 World Cup in 2017 and the U21 European Championships in 2023.
Phil Foden was the shining light that the media and fans pinned the hopes and future of England on following the U17 World Cup, yet eight players from Steve Cooper's squad have gone on to represent the Three Lions with Gomes being the latest alongside Morgan Gibbs-White.
Gomes bucks a trend
By being included in the England squad by former interim boss Lee Carsley, the Lille midfielder has bucked a trend of reluctance to hand unestablished internationals caps when not playing in their country of birth. However, when including Gomes in his squad, the former England U21 manager was quick to disregard the importance of the club he represented.
Explaining his inclusion in the senior squad, Carsley said, "He loves football, he watches football, he's interested in tactics. He knows all the players in any league, and if you ask him for any feedback, you need to be prepared that he's going to give you some honest feedback. He'll often help with highlighting different things in the build-up as he's obviously playing in France. But, yeah, he fully deserves it."
The former Republic of Ireland international and Gomes are rather familiar with one another after the Lille midfielder was coached by Carsley with England’s U21s. People may have been sceptical of his inclusion due to his existing relationship with the former caretaker boss but when asked to prove himself the Lille man soon silenced his doubters.
Gomes was given a taste of international football against Ireland as a second-half substitute. However, it was when asked to start against Finland that the midfielder impressed. Tasked with playing a deeper role than he is used to for Les Dogues, as a defensive midfielder, he showed a game-controlling ability at the base of midfield which instantly saw his stocks rise back in his homeland and saw media waxing lyrically of his performance after the match.
Uncertainty for club and country
In his third appearance, also against Finland, Gomes was offered an opportunity to show his creative intelligence by playing in a more advanced position. He found a pocket of space between the Finnish midfield and defence before playing a disguised pass with the outside of his foot which took five players out of the game and allowed Manchester City's Jack Grealish to escape in behind and score.
Along with his enhanced status as an England international, Gomes enjoyed a positive start to the season with Lille under the stewardship of new head coach Bruno Genesio. With Les Dogues back in the Champions League, he has been involved in the Ligue 1 outfit's impressive start to life back at Europe's top table. The midfielder was suspended for their victory against Real Madrid but played a major part as a starter in Lille's 3-1 dismantling against the competition holders' city rivals Atlético Madrid.
Unfortunately for the former Manchester United midfielder, his 2024 came to a premature end after he was ruled out for the year due to a calf injury. However, that should not detract from an impressive year for the Englishman.
With a view to 2025, there are likely to be two things on the mind of Gomes. His contract with Lille is set to expire in June and rumours of a potential move return to his homeland and former club have been touted with no signs of a contract extension at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Additionally, with a new manager, Thomas Tuchel, in charge of the Three Lions, the Englishman will be keen to impress the new boss in order to keep his place in the international set-up.
