Brighton have reportedly completed the signing of Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gómez who will be swapping South Beach for the South Coast and Messi for Mitoma as he makes his way to the Premier League. The 21 year old South American star won't join the Seagulls until January, as he will be loaned back to David Beckham's Inter Miami to see out the rest of the season. Under the guidance of Argentinian coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino the Herons are leading the Eastern Conference and aiming to add more silverware having won the Leagues Cup in 2023.
The Albion have been tracking the box-to-box midfielder for a long time, and after a starring role as captain of Paraguay's U23s team in the Olympics qualifiers earlier this year the interest intensified. Inter Miami knew they wouldn't be able to hold back the versatile player for long, especially when Fabian Hürzeler's side began offering serious money. At a reported $18 million he would be in the Top 5 most expensive transfers from the MLS in history.
Diego Gómez origin story
It has been a meteoric rise for the boy from southern Paraguay, raised on a farm in Mburicareta his mother tells the story that he used to dribble a ball while taking his calf out to graze. Speaking to a YouTube series on Somos GEN about his upbringing in Paraguay, she said Gómez would use a pomelo (small citrus fruit) if he didn't have a real ball, and he eventually set up his own goalposts at the end of the farm. By the time he was 7 his uncle had taken him to 24 de Junio in the nearby town San Juan Bautista and he made an impression, winning the local tournament. In his early teens he tried out for Paraguayan giants Olimpia and Cerro Porteño with both sides wanting him but unlike Libertad they didn't offer housing in the capital Asunción, some 120 miles away.
""I made my own goalposts, well over there, away from abuelo. I was scared becuase he didn't like me making holes in his garden""Diego Gómez, speaking to Somos GEN
His career nearly came to an end at Libertad, a torn ACL in 2019 during an U17s game followed by a severe bout of Dengue Fever just as he was coming back to full fitness was only the beginning. All youth football in Paraguay was suspended during the pandemic and it wasn't until May 2022 as a 19 year old, that Gómez finally made his senior debut. It didn't take him long to make an impact in midfield, his athleticism and ability to win back the ball and make key passes made him a rare quantity.
By August 2022 he had made his debut for the Paraguay National Team, at Atlanta United's stadium no less, in a friendly win over Mexico. By the end of the year he had a gold medal around his neck with the Paraguayan side that competed in the South American Games and league title with Libertad. At this time he was playing box-to-box, with his main role winning the ball to give to the talented teammates the Gumarelo had such as Julio Enciso who soon made his way to Brighton.
His changing role on the pitch
At Inter Miami we have seen the South American used in a much more advanced role as Tata Martino likes to win the ball higher up the pitch. He has been used as a more traditional "8" supporting the front and it showed in his statistics with the Herons. This season only Messi and Suárez have had more shots on target per 90. He already has 8 goal involvements (5 goals + 3 assists) despite an injury, that's more than in any season at Libertad.
So what can Brighton Fans expect?
I think Seagulls fans should be excited by having such a versatile player who can make a different both ends of the pitch. In the Olympics he led his team in Duels Won but has shown at Inter Miami he can make a difference at the business end of the pitch. People might be tempted to draw comparisons to Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, but Gómez is a different style of player. Willing to carry the ball more, much higher Goal-Creating Actions yet he also is attempting twice as many tackles this season than both Caicedo and Mac Allister did in their final season at Brighton. Diego Gómez is a unique talent and could become a Premier League star.