SIGURDSSON: IS HE REALLY WORTH £45M?

THE Premier League transfer market is seeing a lot of inflated prices this summer, to the extent that it’s becoming difficult to tell a good deal from a bad one – £42.5 million (R717m) for Bernardo Silva or £30m for Jordan Pickford. “Overpaying” seems to be the going rate for basically everyone not named Wayne Rooney.

I still managed a laugh of disbelief when I read Swansea had turned down a £40m bid for their midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. Even now, £40m is a big figure for a midfielder outside the Champions League, but Swansea held out for more and now have got it with Everton paying £45m for the Icelandic international. Checking Sigurdsson’s stats, he scored nine goals last season and had 13 assists. Three of the goals were from penalties, but no matter how you slice it, the assist total was excellent. What’s weird, though, is how those came about.

Eight of the 13 were from set pieces. Two of the goals were also from set pieces. Add the penalties back in, and out of 22 goals or assists, more than half came from dead-ball situations. That’s not a bad thing. Set pieces are an underexploited weapon and arguably helped Chelsea win the title, and Sigurdsson has a great right-footed delivery. However, it also means the output doesn’t justify the price.

Even in an inflated market, for £40m-50m you expect a midfield dynamo capable of defending and who carves open the opposition from open play. Sigurdsson doesn’t do that. Defending has always been an afterthought in his game, and while he has flashes of brilliance – they don’t happen often enough to merit a massive price tag. You end up with an attacking midfielder who doesn’t defend much and had four goals and five assists in 38 appearances last season. Set-piece talent is easy to find, and Everton already have excellent proponents in the building.

In Sigurdsson’s favour, he has been durable during his time in South Wales, appearing in 32, 36, and all 38 games the last three seasons. On the other hand, his age is a consideration and works against a big price. He turns 28 next month.

Even with the Proven Premier League Player premium, Sigurdsson’s fee should probably be around half of what Everton paid. Compare that with the business Brighton did for German dead-ball specialist Pascal Gross at £4m, and it still seems like a lot, but Sigurdsson does have talent, and he is well loved.

We’ll have to call it The Welsh Job, because it is the transfer heist of the century. – The Independent