Recent news mentions how ex-Bayern Munich forward, Mario Gomez, could end up remaining at Serie A club, Fiorentina, indefinitely. Ever since one of my all-time favourite players was gently nudged out of the Bundesliga action, I’ve kept an eye on his progress in the Scudetto, and failed to realise how much he might actually enjoy the pace of the Italian game. Rumour has it that he could be looking further afield, whilst other whispers consider Gomez’s future in Florence could be stable.
It has lately been speculated whether Gomez would leave Fiorentina in favour of Barcelona, a courageous move and one which would push him into extremely high pressure territory, with huge names such as Lionel Messi and Neymar as part of the club. As much as I didn’t believe this would sort of transfer would be on the cards, given Gomez’s overall performances beyond the Bundesliga, it would have been a pleasant surprise. However, the German international has explicitly expressed desires to stay with Fiorentina; not even echoes of joining Barcelona could tempt the man away.
Gomez has scored nine goals in 24 appearances, which is not the most impressive record, but he is a player who suffers with injury. In fact, that was the major factor behind his demise at Bayern; Mario Mandžukić became the new hero upfront and Gomez was somewhat dismissed from normal practice at the Allianz, reducing the worth of my pristine away shirt with ‘Gomez’ stamped on to the back. Despite the sudden change for Gomez, Bayern have retained their strength, regardless of any shaky starts at the beginning of this season, and Gomez has found his niche elsewhere.
The 29-year-old was also the subject of a rumour regarding a move to the Premier League (now, that really would have been a magical decision) back in January; but a rumour nonetheless. Again, this must have been squashed rather easily, as Swansea, who were allegedly the target of the transfer, deemed Gomez’s fee demand that bit too costly, irrespective of whether Wilfried Bony will or will not venture to Manchester City later this year. Again, this was all a good percentage of speculation.
During this season, four goals and two assists in 17 matches is not a bad tally for a player approaching his thirties. This, in itself, does suggest that Gomez could enjoy the next few seasons of his career donning a purple shirt, and could well retire after such further time with Fiorentina. Staying in Italy it is, then.
