Why Everton should take a gamble with James Rodriguez
According to The Telegraph, Everton have opened talks to sign Real Madrid outcast James Rodriguez ahead of the new season.
The report suggests that the Colombian is keen to reunite with Carlo Ancelotti, for whom he has already played for at Santiago Bernabeu and Bayern Munich. Rodriguez has just one more year left on his contract with Los Blancos and could move in search of regular game time.
Profile
Born in Colombia, Rodriguez came through the youth ranks of Envigado in his homeland and played for CA Banfield in Argentina before moving to Europe. He excelled in his time at FC Porto and Monaco and came to prominence in the 2014 World Cup, where he ended as the tournament’s highest goalscorer.
He was immediately signed by Real Madrid that summer and went on to establish himself as a key figure of the squad. He helped them lift two league titles, two Champions League titles, and the same number of UEFA Super Cup titles.
However, since the arrival of Zinedine Zidane, the midfielder has lacked regular game time. He was sent on a two-year loan spell to Bayern Munich and won the league title twice in Germany. But he seems to have no future at Madrid and Everton should pounce at the chance to secure his services this summer.
Rodriguez could be Everton’s creative head
The Toffees haven’t been consistent throughout the campaign but they managed to finish 13th position in the league standings after a torrid start to the season. And with Ancelotti at the helm, they should look to bring in reinforcements.
At the moment, Gylfi Sigurdsson is the only attacking midfielder available at the manager’s disposal. The Iceland international failed miserably in the 2019/20 campaign as he managed to rack up just 3 goals and 3 assists in 38 games across all competitions.
Other midfield talents like Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott also failed to step up in needed situations. Thus, bringing in a creative player in the summer would be helpful.
In that regard, Rodriguez would be a viable option for the club. Though he hasn’t featured regularly in the last couple of seasons, he has already proved his worth at the highest level. He has been a winner in the last few years and that could help in boosting the Toffees’ spirits.
He has made over 380 career appearances and his experience could be helpful for the club. And the fact that he has racked up over 100 goals and assists each in his career proves he could be productive if he is given regular game time.
He can help them with some much-needed goals and be the creative head in the middle of the park. Moreover, he has already played under Ancelotti and that combination could benefit the Toffees.
Read more
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Verdict
At 29, Rodriguez still has a few more years left to play at the top level. At the same time, Everton are in dire need of creative players to support the forwards. And Rodriguez could prove to be a difference if he is able to replicate the same form he previously showed.
