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Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson is Europe's top assist-maker

Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson is top of the pile for assists

He may be battling against relegation from the Premier League, but Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson sits top of the European assist charts.

The Iceland international has notched 11 Premier League assists so far this season, giving him a higher total than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

It's nearly three times as many as last year's top assist-maker Mesut Ozil has managed in the current campaign, and it puts him ahead of plenty of prestigious names.

Barcelona's Neymar, Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Real Madrid's Toni Kroos, Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller, Tottenham's Christian Eriksen and RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg have all provided 10 assists.

Most assists in Europe's top five leagues 2016/17

Player Team Assists
Gylfi Sigurdsson Swansea 11
Christian Eriksen Tottenham 10
Emil Forsberg RB Leipzig 10
Kevin De Bruyne Man City 10
Neymar Barcelona 10
Thomas Muller Bayern Munich 10
Toni Kroos Real Madrid 10

There are five players with nine assists, including Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, Barcelona's Luis Suarez and Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele.

The big difference, however, is that while the rest of Europe's top assist-makers are fighting at the top of their leagues, Sigurdsson, who has also scored eight goals, has achieved his total while battling against the drop.

It has earned him plenty of admirers, with Swansea manager Paul Clement recently saying the 27-year-old is good enough to play for one of his former clubs. The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich coach even compared him to Frank Lampard.

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"I have seen worse players than Gylfi playing at the level of some of the clubs I have worked with," said Clement. "One of the most amazing things about him is how hard he works. He is a player not dissimilar to Lampard, he's working everyday to be the best he can be."

Most assists in the Premier League 2016/17

Player Team Assists
Gylfi Sigurdsson Swansea 11
Christian Eriksen Tottenham 10
Kevin De Bruyne Man City 10
Alexis Sanchez Arsenal 9
Matt Phillips West Brom 8

Sigurdsson responded by admitting he dreams of playing for one of Europe's big guns.

"Of course that's very flattering," he said. "Maybe he was just trying to give me confidence. Of course, it would be a dream to play for one of these big clubs.

SWANSEA, WALES - JANUARY 31:  Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea City celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Swansea Cit
Image: Sigurdsson has eight goals and 11 assist in the Premier League this season

"Hopefully if I continue doing well for Swansea and Iceland then in the near future, I can play in a big club."

Sigurdsson's next test comes in Swansea's Super Sunday clash with Middlesbrough this weekend. Europe's top assist-maker could help them take another step towards safety.

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