Is Sigurdsson the final piece in the puzzle for Everton?

With the current Premier League TV deal allowing clubs to spend huge amounts of money to rebuild their squads, Gylfi Sigurdsson’s £50m price tag is the latest transfer news to raise a few eyebrows.

After signing a contract for the Swans last year – of which there are three years remaining – he is currently the Welsh club’s highest paid player, and has committed his future to the side. Yet Everton could simply be too much of a temptation for the 27-year-old and indeed Swansea, who would undeniably benefit from the huge sum of money on the cards.

Since rejoining his beloved Swans from Spurs in 2014, Gylfi has banged in a magnificent 30 goals, including nine last season along with 13 assists to almost single-handedly save his club from relegation. The playmaker also has 15 goals in 50 international appearances for Iceland, many of which during their incredible Euro 2016 journey. To continuously perform for a club and country of this calibre is an astonishing achievement, and after fending off interest from Leicester, Swansea may not be able to do the same with Everton in keeping hold of such a vital figure.

Finishing third in the 2016/17 Premier League assists table was a truly phenomenal achievement in a somewhat struggling team, and so to outperform the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, and even Cesc Fabregas at champions Chelsea is something that will only hold him in good stead as the transfer window continues. Whether it be a dead ball situation, a dangerous cross or a loose ball on the edge of the box, the playmaker is certainly near the top of the list of who any Premier League club would take in such situations.

As a huge admirer of Sigurdsson, I feel that he undoubtedly deserves a move to a top-half club, and so perhaps Everton are the perfect fit. His time at Spurs evidently didn’t work out, and so this may be yet another disappointing failed transfer, yet he may turn out to be the final piece in Everton’s assault on the top four. They have already acquired ideal replacements for players that have moved on, with the arrival of both Sandro Ramirez and Wayne Rooney seemingly filling in for Romelu Lukaku. A goalkeeper was also number one on their list, and so Jordan Pickford’s £30m transfer is the perfect signature for the Merseyside club, while Michael Keane’s £30m will also undeniably stiffen up a somewhat underperforming defence.

£50m certainly seems like a lot of money for a player of Sigurdsson’s nature, having played most of his Premier League years in the bottom half of the table, but should Ross Barkley move on for a similar price and with the £75m deposited from the sale of Lukaku, Everton will happily meet the asking price for the talented midfielder. Their business would surely be finished then, and Ronald Koeman can finally settle down and hit pre-season with a real drive to succeed.

Many questions are therefore left unanswered, namely, is Sigurdsson really worth that much money, and if so, where will he end up come the end of the transfer window? One thing is certain though, the Icelandic international had been indispensable to Swansea over the years.