Gylfi Sigurdsson: Swansea midfielder wary of leaving after Spurs spell - Paul Clement

Gylfi Sigurdsson has won 49 caps for Iceland, scoring 15 goals

Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson's experience at Tottenham might make him reluctant to leave the Liberty Stadium, says head coach Paul Clement.

Sigurdsson, 27, rejoined the Swans in 2014 after an indifferent two-year spell with Spurs.

The Iceland midfielder's excellent form this season has seen him linked with clubs including Everton, but Sigurdsson says he is happy at Swansea.

"I think he has a unique situation," said Clement.

"He was here on loan and then he went to Tottenham, which was set to be the next step in his career.

"It didn't work out, he came back here and has done really well.

"He is going to have that in his mind - if he is going to make the next step it has to be a positive one.

"He cannot have another situation like he had at Tottenham, where he potentially goes somewhere and is in and out of the side, and does not gather any momentum.

"Otherwise he is better staying here, being a key player and building something around moving this club forward."

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Sigurdsson first joined Swansea on loan from Hoffenheim in January 2012, scoring seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances for the Welsh club.

Those performances earned him a permanent move to Tottenham at the end of that campaign, but he was unable to secure a regular first-team place at White Hart Lane.

As a result, the former Reading player signed for Swansea in a 2014 swap deal which saw defender Ben Davies and goalkeeper Michel Vorm join Spurs.

Since his return to the Liberty Stadium, Sigurdsson has been integral to the Swans, winning the club's supporters' and players' player of the year awards in the past two seasons.

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored 13 goals in 83 appearances for Tottenham

Sigurdsson has scored nine goals and assisted 13 this season, helping Swansea to secure survival in the Premier League with a game to spare.

Clement hopes Sigurdsson can be persuaded to stay if the Swans can avoid another relegation battle next season.

"We want him to be able to see from the second half of the season that he is not going to have another situation like this season," the former Bayern Munich assistant manager added.

"A lot of players have to make that decision in their careers.

I am not necessarily talking about Gylfi, but do they want to be a smaller fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small "pond?

"He has a lot of ambition and I can understand that.

"I hope he stays here, but I also hope in the future he gets the opportunity to play for a really big club."