da winzada777： Over the weekend, Liverpool wrapped up a £3.5million deal for Charlton Athletic youngster Joe Gomez – as confirmed by BBC Sport.
da stake casino： But unless you’re particularly well-endowed in knowledge of the South East London club, you might understandably be a little clueless as to who the prodigious defender actually is. After all, the Addicks have certainly done a good job of keeping Gomez out of the media spotlight until now despite his obvious ability – and at just 18 years of age, he’s hardly a household name.
But fear not Liverpool fans, for Football Fancast is here to help. To make sure you can keep up with your mates as they discuss all things Gomez down the local pub, we’re giving the lowdown on the former Charlton centre-back in a classic ‘Five things you need to know’ format.
So read up on our five things, order a few pints and impress fellow Reds supporters with your new-found knowledge of the England U19!
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VITALS
Full Name: Joseph Dave Gomez
Age: 18
Height: 6 foot 2
Position: Centre-back, full-back
Place of Birth: Catford
Nationality: English, of Gambian descent.
Transfer fee: £3.5million (plus add-ons)
Teams played for: Charlton Athletic, England U17s-U19s
Honours: Charlton Athletic Young Player of the Year 2014/15, U17 European Championship 2014
Twitter account: @J_Gomez97
Tipped for the top from a young age
Liverpool’s latest signing may not be a household name just yet but he’s been tipped for greatness practically throughout his seven years with the South London club.
Indeed, Joe Gomez turned out for Chartlon’s U18 squad way back in 2010, when he was still just 13 years of age. That lead to offers from Arsenal and Manchester City to join their respective academies two years later, but the defender turned down both to stay on at The Valley where a first team role – at some point over the next few years – always seemed inevitable.
Even the great Sir Alex Ferguson once took a trip down to South London to watch Gomez in action during an FA Cup youth tie in 2012 – so the ever-audacious Addicks printed out a false team sheet with misspelt names and wrong shirt numbers to throw the former Manchester United gaffer off the defender’s prodigious scent.
FIRST TEAM BREAKTHROUGH
As previously stated, Gomez always seemed destined to break into Charlton’s senior string sooner rather than latter and he got his chance at the start of last season, playing the full 90 minutes as the Addicks put four past Colchester City in the League Cup. The teenage defender made his Championship debut a week later, in a 3-2 win over Derby County.
That was under Belgian gaffer Bob Peeters but his eventual successor Guy Luzon saw enough to continue calling upon Gomez to fill gaps in Charlton’s defence – particularly at right-back in the recurring absence of Chris Solly.
Eventually, Gomez made 24 appearances across all competitions – including 21 in the Championship – to lift the club’s Young Player of the Year award.
From his outings in the second teir, the 18 year-old averaged an impressive 1.4 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 3 clearances and 0.7 successful dribbles per match.
PROGRESS WITH ENGLAND
Gomez’ prominent form in the Championship last season was probably the biggest factor in Liverpool deciding to cough up £3.5million for the defensive prodigy.
But he’s shown considerable progress on the international scene too, regularly playing in teams above his age group for the Junior Lions and featuring prominently as England’s U17s won the 2014 European Championship in Malta last May – earning a spot in the Team of the Tournament. He also impressed for the U19s as they recorded a 1-1 draw against Germany in October.
Overall, the 18 year-old boasts 25 caps for England across the youth levels.
Comparisons with Rio Ferdinand
Joe Gomez has been compared to a young Rio Ferdinand and it’s no surprise to hear he idolised the former Manchester United defender growing up – despite being an avid Arsenal supporter.
Much like the retired England international, the 18 year-old is unusually mobile for a centre-half, and that splash of agility allows him to break out from defence with the ball at his feet to join the midfield.
He’s very much in the mould of the modern day, ever-in-vogue ball-playing centre-back – a style of play further aided by his exceptional reading of the game.
But Gomez is a good defender too, in no small part due to his powerful 6 foot 2 frame and imperious leap.
Whether Gomez has what it takes to replicate Ferdinand’s six Premier League titles, Champions League title and 81 caps for England, however, remains to be seen.