Clement just sick of window-watching

potential deal is gone. So the decision was made between me, the player and the club.”

Clement feels a deal for Sigurdsson to move to Goodison Park is “closer” and insists he cannot consider new signings until it is resolved.

Meanwhile, Southampton fans had a familiar feeling – as their side made it 545 minutes without a home goal.

Claude Puel got the sack for failing to entertain at St Mary’s but how new boss Mauricio Pellegrini didn’t get a first win under his belt is hard to understand. Manolo Gabbiadini hit the bar in the first minute, Dusan Tadic missed a sitter and saw another effort superbly saved. Saints dominated the whole match from start to finish.

“This is football,” Pellegrini said. “We have to keep going and to improve. We controlled the game, we controlled the opponent and never conceded a counter-attack.

“But in football you have to put the ball in, and we couldn’t.”

As for Saints’ in-demand defender Van Dijk, he is still in limbo after insisting he wants to leave with the club telling him he must stay put.

“We are waiting for him,” Pellegrini said. “Hopefully he can change his mind. I think all of us know Virgil is an important part of the club.”

Swansea’s only real chance fell to Abraham, on loan from Chelsea, in the first half.

But he was hooked later on as the battered Swans tried to seal an unlikely point.

Clement said: “Our fans weren’t very happy with that, but I have to judge it on how much I’m seeing the team suffer. I understand their frustration, they want to see our team win – but after suffering so much defensively it was more important not to lose.”

As for Saints, they could reflect on positive performances all round, especially from Nathan Redmond and Ryan Bertrand, but still haven’t scored a home goal in seven games.

Who knows if Van Dijk could have made a difference.

But maybe Saints fans are being short-changed too... “Look, I am responsible to train the team to achieve the best performance possible but I can’t manage all the situation,” said Pellegrini.

“It’s a pity because the people deserve to see the best players on the pitch, but it happens and you keep going.”