Swansea City are still embroiled in exhausting negotiations with Everton about the sale of Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Now, bear with the concept. Inevitably the very notion of selling your best player doesn’t sit right with most fans and so it shouldn’t – except for in special circumstances.
The most recent update on Everton’s deal to sign Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson is that it is ‘close’ according to Sky Sports, a figure of £50m has been demanded by The Swans and the prolonged back-and-forth has reportedly been due to Everton’s haggling over the quoted price.
This prolonged process seems to have turned the ex-Spurs and Hoffenheim man’s head, after he requested to be excused from the South-Welsh club’s tour of the US and played no part in the friendlies against Birmingham and Sampdoria upon the club returning.
Being stuck in this purgatory offers no benefit to any involved party and whether right or wrong, just further serves the purpose to unsettle the player and better the chances of the purchasing club getting what they want.
Sigurdsson’s altered mindset about a club willing to build a team around him and where the fans revere his presence shows there is no coming back – in scenarios like these even if the transfer itself dissipates rarely do players still perform at the same standards. Hence it may not be the same Gylfi returning to Swansea, a longing sense of ‘what if’ tinging every game and decision afterwards.
Not many could blame the 27-year-old for desperately wanting to take what can only be described as a ‘step-up’ into European football and Everton manager Ronald Koeman’s ambitious project, but for the good of the team the decision needs to be made imminently.
Swans boss Paul Clement has said ‘transfers are on hold’ due to the Sigurdsson situation, which is criminal after only just surviving relegation from the Premier League last time out (largely thanks to the 9 goals and 13 assists from the attacking midfielder). It is not Clement’s fault, as he doesn’t know whether he will be afforded the extra £50m to play with as of yet. As such, the side could be missing out on crucial targets that will improve the squad’s much-needed depth. The transfer window is frantic and to be stationary is to fall behind.
Additionally, those targets will need time to gel into the team and system – a new system without the impetus on Sigurdsson’s talents.
Pre-season was rather successful in this regard for Clement’s men, especially the recent 4-0 dismantling of Seria A’s Sampdoria at the Liberty using Wayne Routledge in Sigurdsson’s position at the tip of the diamond in a 4-1-2-1-2 – but the general consensus is that the current squad would heavily struggle to carry the burden of the Icelandic international’s goal contribution. Direct replacements would be needed.
Many would rather keep the player than have the money in this instance, but there is no denying that £50m is a huge amount of money for a club like Swansea – money that could help build a team for the future.
Perhaps the Sigurdsson situation is salvageable, nothing would make the Swansea faithful happier than to see their beloved playmaker pledge his allegiance and light up the Liberty Stadium again. The club will forever love him for his endeavour and moments of magic regardless. Either way – the sooner a decision is concluded the sooner Clement and the club can stop standing still and move forwards, with or without him.
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