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According to Calciomercato, Rome rivals Lazio and Roma are both keen on signing Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, who is currently on loan with Everton.

It is thought that a deal taking the 25-year-old to Italy won’t be done until the summer, but interest from those Serie A giants could make it very hard for the Toffees to make Gomes’ switch to Goodison Park a permanent one, as the The Guardian have reported is Marco Silva’s desire.

In case Silva doesn’t get his wish though, the Portuguese coach ought to already be putting a plan in place for life without Gomes.

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Place faith in Tom Davies

Davies is yet to really cement himself as a regular starter on Merseyside, but to have amassed almost 70 career appearances for the club by the age of 20 is impressive. Clearly, the England under-21 international is a player with huge potential.

He is still somewhat raw, and needs to improve his end product, but if Silva is bold and invests his faith in Davies as the heir to Gomes’ place in the side, then he could be handsomely rewarded for it when the Everton academy product flourishes.

Drop Sigurdsson deeper

Sigurdsson is certainly at his best in the No. 10 position, but as he approaches 30, his experience could perhaps be put to better use in a deeper role. 

Gomes is currently tasked with operating as Everton’s deep-lying playmaker, initiating and orchestrating attacking moves from the heart of the pitch. Sigurdsson has the technical ability, composure and creativity to pull this off. However, defensive deficiencies could hold him back.

Steel over silk

With Morgan Schneiderlin far from the required quality to be a trusted regular in Everton’s starting XI, Idrissa Gueye is the only reliable defensive midfielder at Silva’s disposal. However, this often leaves the 29-year-old with far too much to do, as he has to offset the limitations in Gomes’ game.

On occasion, this overburdening of Gueye has led to Everton being overrun in midfield. With that in mind, finding a like-for-like replacement for Gomes may not be the wisest move. Instead, Silva ought to leave the attacking responsibility to his forwards, and focus on adding to some extra steel and resilience to his midfield contingent.