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Goodison News View: Pundit puts finger on pulse of big Everton problem
Much of the talk in recent weeks at Goodison Park has been about the future of Everton playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The Iceland international was brought to Merseyside in a deal that was thought to be worth around £45million.
He’s certainly not produced form that is anywhere close to that of a £45million player, that’s for sure.
That’s led to reports that the Toffees are ready to listen to offers for the 30-year-old, with new manager Carlo Ancelotti seemingly in the process of evaluating his squad.
However, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes the Blues will find it difficult to offload the ex Swansea City star.
“It was £50 million, wasn’t it? That surprised a lot of people and it surprised me if I’m honest,” he told Football Insider.
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“I thought they paid way over the top but he’s never really lived up to that price tag so, could you potentially get him off the wage bill that frees up some cash for Ancelotti to go and spend elsewhere?
“It’s always difficult because who’s going to pay? They’re never going to get £50million for him so it’ll be interesting to see how that one unfolds.”
Phillips has his finger on the pulse of the big issue here for Everton. Ancelotti may well want Sigurdsson to go, but who’s going to sign him for a fee the Toffees would deem as acceptable?
Honestly, if Ancelotti’s team can get anywhere around £20million for the Icelander then they should accept, but they may view that as too much of a deterioration.
The second problem, aside from whether anyone will stump up a substantial transfer fee, is whether said team would then consent to pay him anywhere near his reported £100,000-per-week wages.
That’s a colossal sum of money when you combine the transfer fee and the wages, and would any team be willing to pay it? Considering he’d probably be moving to a team a step below the Toffees, you’d have to say no.
In other Everton news, the Blues have reportedly made an enquiry for a £20million-rated Moroccan winger.