Everton round-up: Sigurdsson deal complete; striker adds to injury list; Barkley latest

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One of the summer window’s longest running transfer sagas finally drew to a close on Wednesday, as Everton completed the signing of Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson in a club record £40 million deal.

The Icelandic international put pen to paper on a five-year deal at Goodison Park on Wednesday following a medical, and is already looking forward to getting started on Merseyside under new boss, Ronald Koeman.

“This is an ambitious club and it is clear we are moving in a really good direction. The most important thing is that this team keeps winning games and climbing the table”, Sigurdsson said upon completing his move.

“For myself, I would like to score as many goals as possible and create as many goals for my teammates as I can. But it is always the same thing: as long as the team is winning I will be more than happy.

“He (Koeman) was a great player, one of the top players of his time. Now he is a really good manager and his vision for Everton is clear. He has built up a really good squad here, with strong players, both young and experienced. This was a key factor for me.”

Koeman himself, having brushed off much speculation surrounding the deal throughout negotiations with Swansea, was equally pleased to have finally got his man.

“I’m really happy because the board and especially our chairman, Bill Kenwright, did everything to get him. It took some time but finally we have signed the player”, said Koeman.

“In my opinion, in his position he is one of the best in the Premier League. From the beginning, he was one of the key players we wanted to bring to Everton. That’s because of his quality, first and foremost, and his experience. He can play in different positions. He can play in midfield, he can play as a number 10 and he can also play in a free role on the side – they are the two or three positions where we will use him.”

The signing of Sigurdsson will be a timely boost for Koeman, with the Dutch coach already feeling the heat of a mounting injury list, as well as the sanctioned departure of Gareth Barry to West Bromwich Albion.

New signing Sandro Ramirez, a summer recruit from La Liga outfit Málaga, is the latest name on the treatment room list with a knock, with Everton already missing Ross Barkley (hamstring) and James McCarthy (knee), plus long-term absentees Seamus Coleman, Yannick Bolasie and Ramiro Funes-Mori ahead of the visit of Hajduk Split in the Europa League qualifying playoff round on Thursday.

“We have 17 outfield players available”, Koeman told the Liverpool Echo. “It’s enough for tomorrow but we need more. Everyone knows we have a tough 11 days coming up.”

Whilst Sandro and McCarthy’s injuries are thought to be minor, the prognosis on Ross Barkley, however, appears more severe, with the England midfielder set to be out for six weeks, casting his future very much into doubt amidst speculation of a move to Tottenham before the end of the transfer window.

The 23-year-old has been valued at roughly £50 million by Everton despite entering the final year of his contract, and his latest injury problem may well quell any possibility of a move away from Merseyside prior to January, despite Barkley refusing to sign a new contract in favour of a fresh challenge.

The saving grace for buying clubs, Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all believed to be suitors, is that if a sale is not completed this window, he may be available for a cut-price fee in January, when he will have no more than six months left to run on his current deal at Everton.