6 Reasons Why Sigurdsson Is Ideal For LFC

ONE of the Premier League’s breakthrough players of the 2011-12 season was Swansea City’s on-loan midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The 22-year-old Icelandic attacking midfielder scored seven goals and added three assists in 19 games for the Swans, establishing himself as one of the League’s premier midfield talents.

Reports suggest that Swansea have agreed to a £6.8 million deal to sign Sigurdsson, however with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager, Mirror Football says that the Reds may look to hijack the Swans’ move to sign the youngster. Rodgers has been rather open about his interest in Sigurdsson, and the move makes plenty of sense for both parties involved considering how familiar they are with each other.

He is the kind of player Liverpool must sign, a quality attacking midfielder, he can also play at either side of the wings and even as a forward. The team desperately needs a creative player to play behind the strikers, and this is where Sigurdsson is best at. He is young and talented and already a much better player than Liverpool’s other players at the position.

If Liverpool hopes to legitimately challenge for a berth in the Premier League, then they would need to score a lot more than just 47 goals in a season. Sigurdsson should be able to provide a spark for the Reds’ attack, if he can build upon his fine form at Swansea. The Icelandic has fantastic feet and has shown the ability to shoot from all sides of the field. He is at his best as a playmaker and has shown terrific vision and decision-making skills. The Reds didn’t have a tonne of success with their midfielders last season, and landing a young and rather inexpensive talent like Sigurdsson is the best move to make.

The bar has been set very low for attacking midfielders at Anfield, and just two assists on the season would already make Sigurdsson an improvement from last year.

Rodgers would be making a great move to start his career at Liverpool by bringing his former player on board for the following reasons:

1. Part of a Midfield Rebuild:  Last season, Liverpool signed three midfielders: Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson. The season before that, they signed four: Joe Cole, Raul Meireles, Christian Poulsen and Jonjo Shelvey – two of which aren’t with the club anymore. The club’s midfield has been undergoing a major transformation in recent seasons, and Sigurdsson would be a part of that.

A midfield consisting of Alberto Aquilani, who is set to return to Anfield after the expiring of his loan deal at the San Siro, Steven Gerrard and Gylfi Sigurdsson would undoubtedly be one of the strongest in the Premier League, and would play a major role in helping Liverpool return to their former greatness.

2. Relationship With Rodgers: After Sigurdsson’s hugely successful spell at the Liberty Stadium, Brendan Rodgers was desperate to have his Icelandic star return.

The two men have a great relationship, and Rodgers has been instrumental in ensuring Sigurdsson’s move to Anfield was pushed through. Sigurdsson is going to help Rodgers adapt to Liverpool, and is going to make sure the transition of playing styles is as seamless as possible. In the midfielder, Rodgers has a player he trusts, and a player he knows he can put in any situation and expect results. In his manager, Sigurdsson has a man he respects and is used to and one he has succeeded under before. The positive relationship between manager Brendan Rodgers and player Gylfi Sigurdsson is going to be crucial in 2012-13, should Rodgers succeeds in bringing the midfielder.

3. Adding Creativity Upfront: Jordan Henderson is young and inexperienced. Charlie Adam has struggled. Steven Gerrard is just one man. Liverpool’s biggest need, with just 47 goals in 38 games, is adding quality upfront. The lack of creativity from midfield has been the major cause in the club’s failure to score. Adding skill through the middle could help unleash Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez and make them the kind of goal scorers the team needs them to be.
[ad_pod id=”unruly-video” align=”center”]
Sigurdsson made his name last season as a player who excels in the creative aspect of the game. A set-piece specialist and dominant offensive force, he has the passing ability to unlock the likes of Carroll and Suarez, but can still hit the target from long range and be a threat on the ball. He has the complete game, and his signing would solve any creativity problems Liverpool may have.

4. Dedication, Perseverance, Hard Work & Ambition: One of the things that endeared the 22-year-old to the Swansea City fans was his attitude. Both on and off the pitch, Sigurdsson put his will to win, tireless work ethic and selfless team play on full display, whether he was in a game or in training.

While the Liverpool team often receives criticism for its lack of quality, it rarely does for the above intangibles. From club legends like Steven Gerrard to youngsters like Conor Coady, Liverpool players almost always have these qualities in abundance. For a player to be a success at Liverpool Football Club, he needs to have good dedication and perseverance, the ambition to be the best, the ability to be a team player and a solid work ethic. Clearly, Gylfi Sigurdsson has all the intangibles necessary to be a big success at Anfield.

5. Goalscoring Ability: When Sigurdsson arrived on loan from Hoffenheim 6 months ago, Swansea hoped he would become an important complement to the likes of Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair in the team’s midfield. Instead, the Icelander became the Swans’ premier goalscorer, hitting the back of the net on 7 occasions in 18 Premier League games, while assisting on 3 more.

Last season, Liverpool had no problems while defending (statistically the third strongest in the League) but were let down by a struggling attack force, which scored just 47 goals in 38 games. While the club does still need to add talent at the striker position, Sigurdsson should be good for 10-to-15 goals in a full Premier League season. He will immensely help the team’s goalscoring crisis.

6. Excellent Value: Over the past few months, Liverpool have made some big-money signings that have, as of yet, not materialized (£35 million for Andy Carroll and £20 million for Stewart Downing come to mind). Liverpool cannot afford to overspend anymore and would certainly have to look for talents at lower price, and they could well find one in Gylfi Sigurdsson. Considering he scored 0.37 goals a game last season in the greatest league in the world, £6.8 million seems like a far-from-excessive price tag. He fits in with the club’s transfer policy (young players with a high sell-on value) and is only going to improve. No one in the Premier League last season made more strides than Gylfi Sigurdsson, and considering there is a good chance he takes further strides next year, £6.8 million would be excellent value.

Thanks a lot for reading and feel free to let me know your thoughts. You can also find me on Twitter @LEONGUI7E
[ad_pod id=’DFP-MPU’ align=’right’]
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com

Follow us on Twitter here: @live4Liverpool and ‘Like’ us on Facebook