Gylfi Sigurdsson still has a lot of work to do to guarantee his future at Everton despite his recent claims showing a fighting spirit to impress Carlo Ancelotti.
The 6 ft 1 attacking midfielder has spoken with the club’s official website on what life has been like since the Italian took up the helm in December, and revealed that he was surprised when Ancelotti asked him to play a deeper role.
Sigurdsson had proven himself as a creative type in the Premier League with Swansea City, for whom he scored 26 of his 34 goals and assisted a further 22 of 30 goals for over 90 top-flight appearances when deployed as the central chess piece in south Wales.
He struggled to replicate that work with Everton following his then-club-record £45million move, with Sigurdsson only scoring a total four times and assisting three goals in his maiden term in Royal Blue. But the 74-cap international improved under Marco Silva to strike the back of the net a team-high 13 times and assist a further six goals.
Ancelotti now requests that Sigurdsson plays a different role at Goodison Park, as his often-favoured 4-4-2 does not feature the position where the £100,000-per-week man has enjoyed the best days of his career. Yet, after having a moment to get accustomed to his new responsibilities, the 30-year-old is starting to enjoy the challenges.
“I didn’t know if he was joking,” laughed Sigurdsson, when discussing the change in position. “There are a lot of things I have to think about in games I’ve never thought about before; if we are attacking I have to sit back and make sure we are set up defensively if we lose the ball.
“The things I love are scoring goals and getting in the box, getting on the end of crosses and taking up positions where the ball might fall to you.
“It has always been my target to attack and score goals.
“It took a couple of games to get used to something different but I have started to enjoy that position.
“If it had happened five or six years ago, I wouldn’t have been too happy.
“But as you mature and gain more experience it is a good challenge to play a new position and think about completely different things.
Will Sigurdsson be at Goodison Park next season?
Yes, he should stay
Yes, could not sell him
No, he isn't good enough
Reports at the start of March had suggested Ancelotti remains uncertain over whom his preferred midfield options will be next term, with Andre Gomes put forward as the only central player currently certain to feature.
Sigurdsson’s glee at learning a new role would suggest he is willing to fight to make sure that he secures the second central midfield spot alongside Gomes, and push out the likes of Tom Davies, Morgan Schneiderlin, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who are all more natural options for the central position.
The Premier League season being put on pause until, at least, April 30 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has sparked suggestions players will soon be told to stop training as an early-May resumption appears unlikely, will have been a blow to Sigurdsson’s chances of demonstrating his potential to Ancelotti.
Sigurdsson had featured in one of Ancelotti’s central midfield positions six times over nine appearances before the season was postponed, although the Iceland international often failed to leave a glowing impression.
Sigurdsson appeared to have improved defensively in his first outing in the role under Ancelotti against Burnley, before losing his way against Newcastle, was ineffective and often out of position against Man City, was promising and disappointing against Brighton, initially faltering against Watford then solid but unspectacular against Crystal Palace before being moved out to the left-wing.
The £25.2million-rated midfielder will be one player chomping at the bit for play to resume, as Sigurdsson has a lot riding on it.
In other Everton news, Carlo Ancelotti is ready to sell a mainstay of his plans at Goodison Park.