Why Arsenal must avoid signing James Rodriguez at all costs
According to Spanish outlet ElDesmarque (h/t Daily Mail), Arsenal are plotting a January swoop to sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid.
The report further states that the Gunners’ valuation of £35million falls just short of what Florentino Perez wants for the out-of-favour midfielder. In fact, Real value him at around £42million and it will be interesting to see if the London-based outfit are open to shelling out a fee in that region.
As things stand, Arsenal, just like arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, have bid adieu to Unai Emery hours after their 2-1 Europa League defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt (h/t The Guardian). And their position in the Premier League isn’t all that great either.
In fact, Emery has left the club placed 8th in the standings and their chances of securing a Champions League berth looks rather slim at this point. The recent emergence of clubs like Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City have toppled the top-six order in the English top-flight.
Now, Arsenal have appointed Freddie Ljungberg as their interim manager (h/t The Guardian) but they must aim to finalize a new boss before the January transfer window. The Gunners need reinforcements in numerous positions and that will be a crucial time for them to sign some new players. And to that end, a move for a player like Rodriguez would not be advisable.
Plus, Real Madrid’s asking price is far too much, considering the fact that the Colombian has mostly been an isolated figure at the club.
His loan spell at Bayern Munich did show signs of promise but Arsenal cannot waste time – or money – on players who cannot deliver results from the get-go.
Not to mention, the physicality and pace of the Premier League are a lot more intense when compared to the Bundesliga or even the La Liga. In such a situation, it wouldn’t make sense for Arsenal to shell out so much and sign a player who may take his own sweet time to adjust to the demands of the English top-flight.
After all, they already have one of those in Nicolas Pepe, who joined in a high-profile move worth £72m. The winger’s struggles seem to know no bounds and considering they just parted ways with Emery – and are staring at the prospect of losing out on a Champions League spot – Arsenal must look for options elsewhere.
Furthermore, as per the Daily Mail report, Rodriguez is not too particularly keen about moving to the Emirates either. Hence, Arsenal must avoid this deal at all costs.
