OPINION
There was a lot of hype surrounding Gylfi Sigurdsson after his £45million move to Everton from Swansea City a year ago, and the midfielder is finally starting to justify it.
The 6ft 1in Iceland international [Source: Transfermarkt] scored a stunning effort in his team’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday, the latest terrific outing in what’s been a remarkable run of form for the 29-year-old.
Under Marco Silva Sigurdsson is finally playing like a man worth £45million, having being heavily criticised for an inconsistent first season on Merseyside.
His strike at the King Power Stadium brought his tally to five goals from nine games in all competitions, an excellent record that can be held up next to any player’s in the Premier League this term. The inconsistency of last season appears to have abandoned him and we are now seeing the form everyone thought they would witness when he made his big money move to Merseyside.
His Leicester goal was a particularly exquisite effort, even by Sigurdsson’s high standards. He executed a sublime Cruyff turn to get away from trouble before rifling into the top corner of the net from 25 yards out.
Silva seemingly has found a way to unlock the talented playmaker who shined so brightly in Wales, something that Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce before him couldn’t quite do.
It’s no surprise, then, that results have improved. The Iceland star is the heartbeat of this Toffees team and, along with Richarlison, is undoubtedly its most talented player.
When that duo play well, as they did against the Foxes, it’s tough to live with Everton, and they’ll beat a lot of teams this season just through pure talent.
Sigurdsson has always had the ability to be one of the finest players in the Premier League, but it feels like under Silva’s direction he is finally starting to live up to his potential.
The next challenge for the former Tottenham man is maintaining this form over the course of the campaign, something which separates the top players from streaky stars who fall in and out of prominence.
Do that, and Everton will enjoy an excellent season. Things are going well for the Toffees at the moment, though, and Sigurdsson is a huge reason why.
He is untouchable now.