By Joe Roberts

14th Sep, 2023 | 2:40pm

Andre Gomes move to Turkey hangs in balance after Fenerbahce development in last 24 hours

Andre Gomes’ move from Everton to Turkey may have hit a roadblock after Fenerbahce boss Ismail Kartal’s latest comments.

As reported by Sporx (14 September), Kartal downplayed the need to bring in any more new recruits in the midfield due to Miguel Crespo’s involvement in the squad, with the Turkish not set to close until 15 September.

FotoMac reported (13 September) that the midfielder is set to swap Goodison Park for the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in a £4.3million deal, but the Turkish giants seem in no rush.

Kartal said: “After the transfers were completed in many places, quality players remained in their teams. We currently have Crespo for that region.

“We don’t need to do it just to make a transfer. This staff is enough for me.”

Frustrating

Gomes is unlikely to earn many minutes at Everton this season despite coming to the club from Barcelona for £22million and high expectations.

These expectations were never really met, and now the former Portuguese international has been deemed surplus to requirements.

While the reported £4.3million sale for the 30-year-old brings back very little of the fee the Toffees paid for him, getting his sizable wage off the bill and recouping a fee on a bench-warmer could have done a lot for Everton’s finances.

However, Katal’s comments here throw a spanner into the works and could mean the deal does not go through at all.

Katal cites Crespo’s role in the squad as a key reason why the move for Gomes is not essential, despite the 27-year-old midfielder not playing any minutes for Fener and just three games during their Europa Conference League qualifiers.

This speaks to any potential role Gomes would have in Istanbul – not a very significant one. As the Turkish transfer window quickly swings shut, Gomes’ move hangs in the balance.

In other Everton news, a journalist has claimed two Toffees starts will never start together.