It seems as though Everton have legitimate ambitions to sign Real Madrid star James Rodriguez in this transfer window.
Carlo Ancelotti would like to bring James Rodriguez to Everton and has discussed the move with the club's board with the Blues boss having worked with him at both Bayern Munich and the La Liga club previously.
But the ECHO understands a deal for the Real Madrid playmaker would be difficult for the Blues to pull off given the 29-year-old's wage demands- and talk of signing Rodriguez is only at the preliminary stage.
Whether a deal made is a purchase or a loan, it would be an expensive one but either way, the speculation about his arrival has got many Evertonians excited.
James, of course, rose to European stardom after a scintillating 2014 World Cup with Colombia in which he netted six goals. He joined Real Madrid in that same summer for a standout £80million and was an instant hit, scoring 13 La Liga goals and assisting a further 14 in his first season.
In the years that followed, managerial instability at Madrid, as well as his own injury issues saw the midfielder regularly rotated in and out of the side. He enjoyed a fairly decent loan move to Bayern in 2018, registering a combined 18 goals and assists in just 24 appearances, however, the deal wasn’t made permanent.
Yet, despite somewhat of an up and down few seasons, the midfielder’s ability can’t be doubted. The below highlights how he has compared against other attacking midfielders across the previous two seasons.
For comparison, the below illustrates how he compares vs Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes. If the quality of the image is poor, you can see a more clear version by clicking here.
Although considered a midfielder by trade, there’s a chance that Ancelotti may deem the Colombian international better suited to a wide position in a similar way to how he used him during his time in Madrid, featuring on the left or right in the 4-4-2 we have become accustomed to since the Italian coach arrived at Goodison Park.
Despite his obvious talent, the potential move isn’t without some niggling concerns. Rodriguez is now 29, most definitely approaching the back end of his prime years. Whilst this shouldn’t impact his abilities in the coming two, maybe even three years, you would imagine that beyond that, you will most likely see a rapid decline in his influence.
This could create a scenario further down the line where Everton continue to pay substantial fees in wages for a player who provides very little in the way of output on the pitch - this is an all too familiar issue for the Blues.
Another major red flag has been his general lack of availability across the past few seasons. According to Transfermarkt, the 29-year-old has missed a total of 30 games as a result of injuries across the previous two seasons.
Another concerning aspect about the above is the variety of injuries he has sustained, suggesting he has been prone to a number of issues, rather than just the one recurring problem.
This high number of injuries has dramatically impacted his ability to cement a regular role within his sides starting 11. As a result, he has spent roughly 53% of his available minutes on the bench rather than on the pitch across the previous two seasons.
Everton faced a similar conundrum to this one last summer when they weighed up making a move for Fabian Delph. He was another that had proven himself as a top talent when fit, yet his injury record did cast doubt over his abilities to perform on a weekly basis.
The Blues ultimately gambled and brought in the midfielder, however, it has to date been a transfer that hasn’t paid off, with the 30-year-old a regular on the treatment table.
Therefore, while Rodriguez’s talent is unquestionable, there will be some legitimate concerns that a similar situation to the Delph one could play out again.
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