Sydney Swans re-sign Errol Gulden for four years

At just 21, Swans star Errol Gulden is renowned for his decision-making skills on the field, rarely putting a foot wrong en route to earning a reputation as one of the AFL’s premier players.

Out of contract next year and faced with a surge of interest outside Sydney – including a reported 10-year deal from Adelaide – Gulden took inspiration from the Premier League team he supports, Liverpool, and their superstar players who stayed with their hometown club, helping him to sign his own deal to stay in Sydney for the next four years.

“An obvious one is Steven Gerrard, he had big deals from Chelsea and things like that, but he stayed with Liverpool and obviously won the Champions League in 2005,” Gulden said.

“I guess it’s probably not quite at the same level as the pressure that Stevie G would have been under, but I definitely do look for inspiration from guys like that.

“Even Trent Alexander-Arnold, he’s from Liverpool, born and raised through the academy. So yeah, I’d be pretty flat if any of them ever left, so I guess I can’t be a hypocrite.”

Gulden’s light reference to the round-ball game belies the stress he has found himself under while trying to decide where to continue his own football career. While quick to add that he did not want to get out “the world’s smallest violin”, he was making a major decision on his future at a young age.

A Swans academy graduate from Malabar, Gulden was drafted with pick No.32 in 2020, and had his breakout season last year, finishing fourth in the Brownlow Medal count and winning the Swans’ best and fairest award.

Gulden grew up as a Carlton fan and received significant interest from clubs across the competition, but the All-Australian midfielder is not considering any future moves to Melbourne, given the increased attention off the field that he would likely attract as a player.