Jamie Redknapp has hailed Gylfi Sigurdsson as “some player” following his matchwinning display for Everton in their 2-1 win against Leicester City on Saturday.
Writing in his weekly Daily Mail column, the high profile pundit claimed Sigurdsson is finally settling at Goodison Park after a difficult debut season following his transfer from Swansea City.
Former midfielder Redknapp explained how the arrival of Marco Silva has played a crucial role in coaxing greater consistency from the Iceland international.
“A wonderful talent but he is a confidence player,” said Redknapp as he named Sigurdsson in his Mail team of the week. “I don’t think he settled in at Everton last season following his club-record £45million move.
“He struggled to cope with the price tag, his role in the team and the managerial instability. Now, he has a coach in Marco Silva who is unlocking his full potential.
“Sigurdsson is such a pure striker of the ball. He shoots from distance as well as anyone in the Premier League. His winner at Leicester was his 50th goal in the Premier League — with 19 of those struck from outside the box.
“When Sigurdsson has his tail up, he is some player.”
OPINION
Everton fans have been unconvinced by Sigurdsson for so long. Many slammed him as a waste of money during a debut campaign in which he shone only sporadically and mostly looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Finally, the Icelander is becoming one of the stars of a a team who are easy on the eye and look to score goals rather than merely prevent them. Saturday’s win may well prove to the catalyst for the Silva era and the day when it began in earnest. It is what Everton fans had been waiting for, ever since Farhad Moshiri arrived with a suitcase full of cash and the ambition to gatecrash the Premier League top six. Their team swaggered to a first away win of the season thanks to thrilling performance crackling with skill and speed and crowned by a wonderful long-range goal by Sigurdsson. His spectacular 25-yard strike – timed at 49mph – was the icing on the cake of a display in which Everton’s two Brazilians, Richarlison and Bernard, also sparkled. Heady stuff for Evertonians who had to suffer Sam Allardyce’s reign.