The Liverpool Echo claimed that the contractual situation of Gylfi Sigurdsson at Everton remains in doubt, with less than 18 months left to run on the Iceland international’s existing deal.
The 31-year-old stole the show with a goal and three assists in a creative masterclass in the Toffees’ 5-4 defeat of Tottenham in the FA Cup on Wednesday night. In a quirky fact, Everton have won every game in which Sigurdsson has either scored or set up a goal this season.
The creative spark in Sigurdsson is undeniable, having managed five goals and seven assists in all competitions this season, but the £40m signing from Swansea seems to have an uncertain future ahead of him.
The Reykjavik native has already secured as many assists this season as he has in any other for Everton, and Carlo Ancelotti seems to have unlocked the vast talent possessed by the Icelandic midfielder.
The relationship between Ancelotti and Sigurdsson appears to be at an all-time high following apparent differences of opinion at first, but the Liverpool Echo has nonetheless claimed that the 31-year-old might not be presented with a new deal at Goodison Park.
He earns a pay packet worth a reported £100,000-a-week, which amounts to an annual salary of £5.2m.
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At the age of 31, even a short-term extension to his deal would have the Iceland midfielder hovering precariously around the 33-year mark, and a belief that Sigurdsson will only decline with age could make the finances of a new deal virtually untenable.
Unfortunately, any inaction from the Toffees’ board is justified; it is hard to see how viable an extension for Sigurdsson would be without an agreement for a pay cut.
