You know, i'm all about 'squad rotation'. If you think about the amount of money being spent (as
@davek keeps saying) and I mean this not in a net spend sense but in an actual 'what exactly are we spending our money on!!!!??? sense....
Then lets look ahead ONE season and just see who we expect so be here from the current players, in my opinion;
Pickford/???
Coleman/Kenny -- Keane/Holgate -- ???/??? -- ???/Connolly/Baines(?)
Klaassen/Davies -- Schneiderlin/??? -- Gana/???
Rooney/Dowell --???/Sandro/DCL -- Lookman/Onyekuru/Bolasie(?)
Sigurdsson;
1 -- It looks to me that in left forward position we would see Lookman and Onyekuru who, on limited showing seem to be inside forwards with a bit of pace and skill. I suppose if Bolasie stays we could add him as our 3rd 'similar' player here.
2 -- In the centre we have our 'destroyer' in Gana with Schneiderlin sitting and keeping things simple with Klaassen and Davies taking up a 'team player role in a quick thinking, short passing, energetic player who gets into space sense'.
In the midfield if we want to keep the same system (which 433's usually do) i'd pick the Schneiderlin role as the most similar to Sigurdsson's skill set but someone like a Dendoncker for 20-25mil as competition/rotation would be better suited.
3 -- With a Sandro/DCL in rotation or 'options' were all expecting a centre forward signing....I think with that, Rooney will be pushed out into the right sided position to quietly link play as more of a 'Teddy Sheringham'. Dowell seems to be a similar type of intelligent player from what I've seen and read of him
4 -- I note
@Timak and
@BlueToff both commenting on Sigurdsson being a playmaker. Timak saying he expects a player buzzing around linking play whilst Bluetoff also adding in Gylfi as someone who can create or do something out of nothing. I'd say in (3) above Rooney and Dowell can both create something out of nothing...
So, on paper it seems to be that (in my own overthinking mind acting as a strategist) the most logical place to play is not in central midfield (where his skillset doesn't match the definition of the positions we have there) nor does he fit onto the inside left position (he's nothing like the players we have there who rely on speed, directness and skill) so the likeliest place for him is Right inside forward where he will be first choice ahead of a 'perhaps' declining Rooney.
So perhaps this season he plays on the left (whilst bolasie is injured/Lookman is developing and Onyekuru is on loan) and then next season he switches to the right (as Rooney declines)?
Failing all this...perhaps he's going to be a false 9 ?
#headsfallingoffeverywhere