Why Moving To Everton Would Benefit Gylfi Sigurdsson
Everton find themselves in a precarious situation. Despite looking strong to finish in the Europa League spots in the Premier League standings, things are a bit grim at the Goodison Park.
Two of their brightest stars, Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley’s contracts are set to expire in the summer of 2018, and the dynamic duo could be headed for the exit doors in the upcoming transfer window.
While manager Ronald Koeman has put up a brave front, stating that the club will not hesitate to sell the players if they don’t ink the new contracts, there will be a sign worry amongst the club and the fans.
However, if reports are to believed Everton are preparing for the exit of their stars and are preparing to make a swoop for Swansea City attacker Gylfi Sigurdsson. Ronald Koeman is a huge admirer of the Iceland International and the Dutchman remains persistent over his interests in the player and believes that signing him will turn Everton into potential top-four challengers.
Gylfi Sigurdsson has been excellent for the Swans this season and is almost single-handedly keeping Swansea afloat at the moment. And as a result, the Welsh club are demanding a fee in the region of £30 million for the 27-year old.
However, will Sigurdsson be able to rise to prominence at Everton? Especially considering the fact that the last time he moved to a big club, things did not go well.
Back in the 2011-12 season, Sigurdsson had arrived at the Liberty Stadium on loan from German club TSG Hoffenheim. Having joined in the winter transfer window, the Iceland international impressed heavily in the league. In 18 Premier League games during his loan spell for Swansea, Gylfi scored 7 goals and added 4 assists. As a result the Swans tried to sign him on a permanent deal, but the move collapsed due to then-Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers departing to join Liverpool.
As a result, Sigurdsson ending up joining Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the first-signing under new manager Andre Villas Boas. However, he never completely managed to get going at the White Hart Lane. The chopping and changing of managers at the club hampered Sigurdsson from displaying his best. In 83 appearances with the North Londoners across two seasons, Sigurdsson scored 13 times, before returning back to Swansea in the summer of 2014, permanently.
And since then, the Icelander has gone from strength to strength and has gone on to develop into one of the best creative players in England. Post his return, the 27-year old has scored 35 goals at Swansea and has assisted 23 more in 113 appearances across all competitions. 11 strikes have come this season along with 9 assists, and it is no doubt that he is enjoying his most prolific season in England.
The fact that he can play anywhere in the attacking half of the pitch gives a great advantage to the managers. His ability to open up defences with his slick passing and the danger he poses from set-pieces is quite amazing. There is no question that he will be a huge hit at Everton if he secures a move in the summer.
The fact that he had to endure a difficult period at Tottenham was more due to the instability surrounding the club at that time. Things are different at Everton. Under Koeman they are building towards a new future under the new ownership of Farhad Moshiri and they should go all out to get Sigurdsson in the summer, without a doubt.