Rovers have made it a Nordic double this summer, after confirming the signing of Arnór Sigurðsson, who has arrived in East Lancashire until the end of the 2023-24 season.
The 24-year-old, becomes the second Nordic to join this summer, following the acquisition of Sondre Tronstad from Vitesse Arnheim, and the first-ever Icelandic player to pull on the Blue and White halves of Rovers. Jon Dahl Tomasson has been allowed to bring Sigurðsson into Ewood Park, courtesy of FIFA’s ‘temporary employment rules’ relating to Russia/Ukraine War, in which ‘players and coaches in Ukraine or Russia have the right to unilaterally suspend their employment contracts until 30 June 2024.’ This transfer is the second time that Sigurðsson has taken advantage of this ruling since it was introduced in early 2022.
Born in the port town of Akranes, which contained an average population of 8,000 according to a 2022 census, Sigurðsson became one of many aspiring footballers to emerge from the town and realise his dream, alongside that of former Arsenal & Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Sigurður ‘Siggi’ Jónsson. After kicking off his career with his local side, ÍA Akranes, as a bit-part player in the 2015 and 2016 Icelandic Premier League seasons as a teenager, earning exposure to first-team football both in league and cup competitions.
By 2017, Sigurðsson’s cameos caught the eyes of Swedish Allsvenskan side, IFK Norrköping who snapped him up, initially to supplement their youth teams, but his encouraging performances with the under-21s saw him slowly bled into the first-team towards the end of the 2017 Allsvenskan campaign, assisting on his first-team debut in the Swedish FA Cup, in a 5-0 rout of Bollnäs GIF, where he played 40 minutes. His Allsvenskan debut came three weeks later as he played the final eight minutes, off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Kalmar FF.
Sigurðsson’s impressive cameos off the bench throughout the remaining fixtures of the 2017 Allsvenskan campaign saw him head into the 2018 campaign looking to nail down a first-team spot, which he duly did, playing a majority of the minutes that campaign, netting three goals and three assists – five goals and four assists in all competitions – as his side narrowly missed out on the Allsvenskan title and UEFA Champions League qualification, by two points.
The Icelandic attacker’s fine displays in Scandinavia – including a short loan spell at Swedish First Division side, IF Sylvia who are based in the city of Norrköping in 2017 – continued to catch the eyes of European moneybags as CSKA Moscow came knocking on Deadline Day 2018, agreeing a fee of €4 million, which proved to be a record fee for the Swedish side, for a departing player. Just under three weeks after putting pen-to-paper on his five-year-contract, Sigurðsson made his initial bow both, for for the six-time Russian Premier League winners, and in the UEFA Champions League in a 2-2 away draw against Czech side, FC Viktoria Plzeň, becoming the youngest ever Icelandic to play in the UEFA Champions League, in the process, aged 19. The Icelandic’s premier league appearance would come just four days later, again as a cameo, in the Moscow derby, as CSKA drew 1-1 with record title winners, Spartak Moscow.
The forward’s maiden season in Russia proved successful individually, with five goals and one assist in 21 appearances, despite finishing a lowly 4th place and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for 2019-20. Sigurðsson was able to endear himself straight into the hearts of the CSKA faithful, as he netted a brace in a 2-0 victory away at city rivals, Spartak Moscow. Despite missing out on qualification to Europe’s premier competition through the league, The Millitarians managed to cause shockwaves throughout their European campaign, beating Real Madrid, both home and away, whilst keeping a clean-sheet, despite earning the wooden spoon in the group. Sigurðsson’s impact in those victories were substantial as he notched a goal and assist in their 3-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu, alongside their consolation goal in a 2-1 home defeat to AS Roma, which was his first for the club.
The 2019-20 season saw Sigurðsson grow further into his role in the CSKA Moscow side playing a majority of the minutes throughout the season, when not injured or suspended. As with most leagues during this campaign, the Russian Premier League suffered from suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the league postponed for three months, from March to June, following it’s annual winter break in early December. Despite all of the issues that unfolded throughout the campaign, Sigurðsson managed to maintain a consistent rate of performance, ending the prolonged campaign with four goals and two assists, matching his quota for goal contributions from his first campaign in Russia.
Whilst CSKA Moscow again finished 4th for the straight successive year and again missed out on the UEFA Champions League, their continental exploits in the UEFA Europa League failed to live up to the high expectations that their fanbase would have undoubtedly had following their successes against Los Blancos the last campaign. CSKA Moscow propped their European group, behind Hungarian side, Ferencváros and advancing pair Bulgarian champions, Ludogorets Razgrad and two-time UEFA Cup runners-up, Spanish side, Espanyol, who topped the group. Sadly for the attacker he was unable to have the same impact in the continent’s secondary competition, without a return.
An edge towards normality in 2020-21 saw Sigurðsson struggle for consistent game time, only playing a full 90 minutes twice, in the UEFA Europa League. Despite his individual struggles coinciding with the team’s poor form which saw them finish 6th and outside any continental competitions for the first-time since 2001-02, Sigurðsson did return five goal contributions with two goals and three assists from the 23 sporadic appearances he made. Much like their UEFA Champions League run the previous campaign, CSKA Moscow were unable to put up a fight on the continental stage, finishing bottom, with three points, but winless. This season was to be the last – to date – that Sigurðsson would pull on the red and blue of CSKA Moscow, due to the political issues that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
With 2020-21 at a conclusion and CSKA Moscow out of Europe as well as struggling domestically, Sigurðsson was offered a route into mainland Europe’s more prestigious leagues by newly-promoted Venezia, who acquired the Icelandic international on loan until the end of the 2021-22 campaign. This came after having extended his contract with the Russian club until 2024, giving him the stability to perform on his loan-spell, but the security of potential European football in the eventuality of the Russian club’s revival back to former glories. Sadly for Sigurðsson, his brief stint in Italy proved disastrous. After being hampered by a series of niggling injuries and Venezia’s poor domestic form that led to them finishing last place in Serie A, the Icelandic forward was only able to make nine league appearances for the The Winged Lions.
By the conclusion of Serie A, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had begun, which saw FIFA introduce ‘temporary employment rules’ implemented. With the mainland European campaigns either complete or drawing to their conclusions, the forward was offered a lifeline by former side IFK Norrköping, to regain his fitness following his injuries and make up for lost time. With his CSKA contract suspended, Sigurðsson brought the summer heat to Swedish football, netting six goals and creating another four from the 11 games he played – including a brace versus Hammarby IF – to wrap up the 2022 Allsvenskan campaign, which concluded in November 2022, helping to steer The Blue and Whites three points clear of the drop zone.
Given the fact Sigurðsson had taken advantage of the FIFA regulations to return to Sweden, he remained part of the IFK Norrköping roster until the expiry of his loan contract at on 30th June 2023. With FIFA confirming the extension of these regulations until June 2024, this has allowed Rovers to make the move for the attacking midfielder who has no doubt shown the quality in-front of goal to potentially solve the goalscoring woes that Rovers suffered towards the back-end of last campaign.
From an international perspective, Sigurðsson has risen up the ranks from youth to senior level, playing in all the ranks from under-16s to senior level – bar under-18s. Despite still being a teenager during Iceland’s finest hour, when they knocked England out of Euro 2016, Sigurðsson has played tournament football for the European minnows, netting a goal in a UEFA Nations League 2-2 draw with Israel in June 2022. When accounting for all youth levels with his nation, Sigurðsson has played 52 times for his homeland, netting four times alongside five assists, with two of those goals coming inside his 27 senior appearances.
With a myriad of experiences across different nations and levels under his belt, alongside an ambition to test himself in English football, here’s hoping Sigurðsson can hit the ground running and become one of many Icelandic players who have made waves within European football.
Velkominn, Arnór! ??
