I was a Man City wonderkid but never got going at Etihad – now I am on my way back.

I was a Man City wonderkid but never got going at Etihad – now I am on my way back.

Pep Guardiola raved about Claudio Gomes in 2018 and the former Manchester City midfielder is enjoying the latest chapter of his

Claudio Gomes in the new Palermo away kit
Claudio Gomes in the new Palermo away kit
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Manchester City need to sign a holding midfielder but as the transfer window goes on it looks increasingly unlikely.

With the financial demands deemed too high for any potential reinforcements, the burden is shifted back to Pep Guardiola and his squad; they have, after all, just won the Premier League. Besides, there is an exciting prospect on tour in the United States who could emerge from nowhere to command a spot in the first-team squad and provide the cover without having to risk the market.

“It could be like what happened with Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz,” says the manager. “He could stay with us, because from what we have seen in these days, the impression is good, so good.”

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The year is not 2024 but 2018, and Guardiola has just blown any City efforts to keep a lid on expectations for new 18-year-old midfielder Claudio Gomes. The French midfielder arrived after an acrimonious end to his time at Paris Saint-Germain but was so highly thought of that he was flown out to be with the touring squad six years ago before his 18th birthday when his signing would be official, and played as soon as he was available against a star-studded Liverpool team.

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Gomes was not seen as the only possible cover for Fernandinho at the time, but concerns over whether Douglas Luiz would be granted a work permit raised his profile. He would take some adaptation after barely playing at PSG for the previous six months and there was a language barrier to overcome, yet the potential was there.

There was an appearance in the final seconds of the Community Shield win over Chelsea that year and he made his debut at the Etihad in a Carabao Cup game against Fulham, although getting up to speed was taking longer than hoped. He headed off to PSV for the 2019-20 season but spent most of his time with their second team.

Then came a restart in City’s second team, under the new guidance of now Chelsea chief Enzo Maresca. Gomez began to look comfortable not just at No.6 but also in defence. By January 2021, Gomes was back in first-team training.

“I never thought I would play centre-back or right-back and the first day I saw that I would be playing centre-back I was surprised but Enzo helped me a lot and gave me confidence and the good words before,” he told the Manchester Evening News in 2021 after coming on for Rodri in an FA Cup win at Swansea.

“I just have to keep going like this, training and showing to everyone that I need to be a Man City player. I need to work five or six times harder than everyone and just be ready because we never know if one day they will need me for games.

“My target is to be a Man City player. I will keep going, working hard. We can’t say my chance is gone – it is not possible in football because we don’t know what will happen in the future.”

A loan move to Barnsley followed but it was a disastrous season for the South Yorkshire club, going from a play-off position in the previous year to finishing last and being relegated to the third division. Gomes had played plenty, it just hadn’t gone as anyone wanted.

The next year saw a clean break with City, even if his permanent move kept him in the wider group with second-division Italian side Palermo. Once battling it out in the top tier of Italian football, Palermo had tumbled out of the top two leagues but pulled their act together to earn promotion back to Serie B in 2022.

Gomes has been there ever since, involved in two campaigns that have ended in top-ten finishes. As they push for another promotion, their 24-year-old midfielder is at the centre of their plans.

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“Playing so far two years with Palermo in a difficult league like Serie B has been a formative experience,” he tells the Manchester Evening News. “In Italy the focus is on tactics, I like that a lot of importance is given to the ability to read game situations in advance. In these two years Palermo has grown a lot.

“The club is strengthening the team, the competition among us footballers is an extra stimulus. We want to improve on last season’s result, trying to get as high as possible in the standings. Palermo has an important project, it is destined to return to Serie A soon.

“Playing at the Stadio Renzo Barbera is incredible, I remember very well the first time I set foot on the pitch. The Palermo fans are fantastic, they really care about the team and they give us players the right charge to face the matches.

“I feel at home in Palermo. Sicilians are affectionate. Palermo is a city that lives on football and we footballers have to be good at turning the expectations and dreams of the fans into positive energy. Palermo is a different city than Manchester and Paris, but it is a very good place to live.”

It may be nearly 2,000 miles away from Manchester and away from the pressure that is placed on Guardiola’s squad, but Gomes was also happy to return to the City Football Academy in July as Palermo trained there as part of their pre-season preparations and launched an away kit that was set in Ancoats. While his time at the Etihad didn’t go as planned, as he enjoys a new chapter in his career he still looks back warmly on those early years.

“It was a fantastic experience, one of the best memories concerning my football career,” he said. “A unique thrill to have had the opportunity to train with players of the level of Manchester City.

“I learned so much from Guardiola, his teachings still help me on a daily basis and will be invaluable for the continuation of my career. He is a true teacher of life and soccer. Hearing his statements about me was a source of pride and an additional incentive to give my best on the pitch.”

“The debut at the Etihad was fantastic, I remember very well my entrance on the pitch. It was brief but intense and unforgettable. An emotion that I will always remember with great pride, wearing the Manchester City jersey is a privilege for many and I am proud of it.”

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