Nearly everybody watching Liverpool has spent much of the past month expecting Gylfi Sigudsson to sign tomorrow in what seemed destined to become this summer's version of the Charlie Adam saga. For the last few days, however, and following a story in German tabloid Bild, nearly every outlet has u-turned on the matter and suggested he's destined for Tottenham instead.
Given the player's connection to new manager Brendan Rodgers and that everyone from the Guardian down to Goal.com seemed to be doing little more than repackaging the speculation of one tabloid article lacking any details as to what or how or why the presumed done deal had suddenly broken down, it seemed as likely as anything that most were simply trying to fill column inches and drive traffic at a time when nothing much was happening.
The normally reliable Liverpool Echo has now turned all that on its head—and thrown a bucket of cold water on the hopes of many who saw Sigurddson as one of the top young talents in the league and an absolute steal for anything less than £10M—by picking up the story while adding a bit of flesh to the reasons side of things. In the end, it appears that though the £8M bid Spurs are reported to have had accepted by Hoffenheim is within Liverpool's reach, the problem is Sigurdsson's salary demands.
Tottenham, it seems, are willing to offer a 50% higher wage than Liverpool, and though a similar salary would almost certainly see the Icelandic midfielder at Anfield, Liverpool are unwilling to break their new wage structure for him. If this remains unchanged, a medical for the player at the London club is likely by the end of the week. While taking a stand on salary may make sense for the club, losing out on a player of Sigurdsson's quality and potential despite having as manager the man who previously convinced him to make his move to Swansea City permanent will still be tough to swallow for many, and for some it will even echo the manner in which Liverpool were beaten to young talent like Ronaldo and Dani Alves by clubs willing to spend just that little bit more a little more quickly in the past.