talkSPORT pundit urges Everton to bin Gylfi Sigurdsson and sign Christian Eriksen
Darren Gough has offered a scathing assessment of Gylfi Sigurdsson and called on Everton to replace him with Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen.
Sigurdsson, 31, moved to Merseyside in 2017 and has made 148 appearances for the Blues but he has scored just six goals and made seven assists in his last 63 Premier League appearances.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s ‘Drive with Adrian Durham’ [16:00, 13/04/21] Gough implored Everton to bin him for Eriksen.
“One player I’d like to see there is Eriksen instead of Sigurdsson,” he said.
“I think he gives them more teeth, a bit more teeth going forward and more creativity.
“I think he’s just a poor man’s Eriksen, Sigurdsson, I honestly believe that.”
Carlo loves him
This isn’t the most unlikely deal to happen in the world with Carlo Ancelotti seemingly a big fan of the Danish international.
The Blues boss gave a ringing endorsement of Eriksen’s qualities in an interview with Italaian radio station Radio DeeJay last year [22/02/20].
In quotes relayed by Sempre Inter, he said: “Eriksen is a complete midfielder, he can play between the lines or as deep-lying midfielder.
“For characteristics I see him close to [Andrea] Pirlo, linear in the game, easy to pass, nice shot from outside. Eriksen in front of the defence? Yes, he could also play there, but he’s great up front as well. He’s a very complete midfielder.”
That’s high praise indeed from a manager who was instrumental in shaping the storied career of Pirlo, who is regarded as one of the best technicians and passers to grace the game in recent years.
He lifted the World Cup with Italy and picked up a couple of Champions League winner medals with AC Milan so it was not a light comparison made by Ancelotti.
Eriksen is a proven Premier League performer with 51 goals in 226 games for Tottenham Hotspur and Jose Mourinho labelled him “phenomenal” [HaytersTV] after a match versus Norwich City, but he has found life tough since moving to Inter Milan last year, scoring just once in 35 Serie A outings.
The 29-year-old would certainly represent an upgrade on Sigurdsson but his age counts against him with Everton’s midfield ranks already stacked with players entering or exceeding their 30th birthday.
If a cut-price deal could be agreed then maybe it could be a goer but we think director of football Marcel Brands is better off unearthing a younger gem, particularly with James Rodriguez already installed as the Blues chief creator.
In other Everton news, Blues track French ‘Phenomenon’ in potentially record-breaking move.
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