Sigurdsson Sale: Swansea could face Ragnarok after losing Thor!

By on August 24, 2017

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For Scandinavians like Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson, the word “Ragnarok” means “a series of apocalyptic events that will define the end of the world.” For Swansea this season, the first of those apocalyptic events may have finally come to pass with the inevitable sale of star midfielder Sigurdsson to Premier League rivals Everton for a gigantic £45 million. Ragnarok could translate into another deadly “R” word for the Welsh club next May, as relegation would be the end of their top flight status. The Swans will need to reinvest that £45 million income in the next two weeks to have a realistic chance of survival this year, otherwise Hela – the goddess of death – could be visiting the Liberty Stadium in their battle to stay up. Sigurdsson scored nine goals and made thirteen assists last season to help the Swans avoid the dreaded drop.

Everton Assemble!

The transfer saga between the two clubs has been rumbling on all summer long, with the Swans battling to get as high a fee as possible for their twenty-seven-year-old Reykjavik-born playmaker. Paul Clement’s side were reportedly looking for a £50 million figure for the ex-Tottenham man but had to settle for a transfer sum of £45 million as the Toffees eventually hammered out a club record deal. To think, the Toffees spent the same amount on Sigurdsson as Man City splashed out on right-back Kyle Walker during this window, though you could get four Sigurdssons for one Neymar.

Everton have now spent around £150 million this window, as they strive to reach the top Thor (I mean four!) this campaign. Manager Ronald Koeman is assembling a squad to compete with the traditional “big six”, with former Reading midfield maestro Sigurdsson fighting to be fit in time to make his debut against Manchester City on Monday night. The Toffees will also have to prepare for Europa League action after beating Croatian club Hajduk Split in the last phase of UEFA Europa League qualifying before the group stages start in September.

Swans may face a trip to the Dark World of the Relegation Zone!

Swansea drew their opening game of the 2017/18 season 0-0 with Southampton and have further lost firepower from their attack with the sale of Sigurdsson, whose middle name, Þór, famously translates in English as “Thor”. He was able to prevent the Ragnarok event of relegation in 2016/17 for the Welsh outfit but is wearing Merseyside blue and the Swans’ other main hero from last season, Fernando Llorente, is still recovering from a broken arm. Swansea endured another rough outing after losing 4-0 to the early pace-setters Manchester United at Saturday lunchtime in their second fixture, with Romelu Lukaku striking a brace in red. Gylfi “Thor” Sigurdsson made quite an impact during his time at the Liberty, his thorty-four goals making him Swansea’s top scorer in the Premier League. The recruitment of Tammy Abraham on loan from Chelsea and Roque Mesa from Las Palmas for £11 million may not be enough to replace all those finishes, but — like Daniel Craig returning to play James Bond — they are reportedly interested in re-signing Wales international midfielder Joe Allen from Stoke before the 31st August transfer deadline. Sigurdsson will have to wait a few months before facing his old side, as Everton first meet Swansea in 2017/18 in the league during mid-December, which is about two months after “Thor: Ragnarok” is released in UK cinemas.

HOMEPAGE PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Elkins from Bristol, United Kingdom [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.