Everton signed Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea City in the summer transfer window, but should they have gone after Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler instead?
The £45 million that Everton paid Swansea City for Gylfi Sigurdsson, as reported by The Guardian, is already looking good for value.
Despite not having a pre-season with the Toffees, the former Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder has played well for the Merseyside outfit so far this campaign and scored a wonder-goal against Hajduk Split.
If Everton are aiming to finish in the top six or the top four of the Premier League this season, then Sigurdsson could prove to be an important player, but at 27 years of age, there is not much resale value on the Iceland international.
It is hard to see Everton sell Sigurdsson more than they (reportedly) paid for him in two or three years’ time when he could start to decline.
The former Swansea star is at his peak at the moment, but Everton should have thought long-term and should have signed Julian Draxler from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window.
Draxler is 23 years of age, can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, and is potentially world-class.
According to a report in The Times earlier this month, PSG want £32m as transfer fee in order to sell the Germany international this summer.
The 2014 World Cup winner with Germany has not had a great time at PSG since his move from VfL Wolfsburg in the January transfer window, but there is no doubt that he is hugely talented.
True, Draxler does not have the experience of playing in the Premier League, but the former Schalke star has the quality and calibre to be a success in the English top flight.
Everton could have earned almost double of what they would have paid for Draxler in three or four years’ time when Draxler would have been at his peak.
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