In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has backed Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti to succeed in reigniting Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez’s career if he managed to sign him during the summer transfer period. Marca had reported earlier this month that the Toffees head coach was planning to bring the Colombian international to Goodison Park in the off-season. Robinson believes that the Italian tactician can get the best out of Rodriguez when he said (via Football Insider), “Ancelotti can get the best out of any player.
“He is the pull for Everton. It is a completely different Everton going into the transfer market with Ancelotti at the helm.
“All of a sudden, you are putting names like Rodriguez in the same sentence as Everton. Before, you would not have done. He is a realistic target because of the manager.
“However, he has been widely touted quite regularly so it will be interesting to see where he is. He is a top player.”
Rodriguez’s Growing Struggles At The Bernabeu This Season
Since returning from his underwhelming loan spell at Bayern Munich, Rodriguez has endured a frustrating season in the La Liga as he has failed to perform at a high level under Zinedine Zidane’s tutelage so far. Picking up random injuries hasn’t helped his cause at the Spanish capital. In fact, it has derailed his progress at Madrid over the past eight months. The Colombian international has received only 650 minutes of playing time this season. However, he deserves credit for netting one goal and grabbing two assists for the Madrid giants this term across all fronts.
Hence, Rodriguez still might have something to prove at the highest level so a change of scenery this summer could be an ideal career move for him ahead of the new season. He has averaged 1.3 shots, 2.0 key passes and 0.1 dribbles per game in the seven Spanish top-flight matches he has been involved in this season (stats via whoscored). Injuries have taken a toll on the Cucuta-born talent, which is why he has lost a yard of pace from his game in recent years.
The 28-year-old has a decent goal-scoring record for Colombia after finding the back of the net 22 times in 76 matches for his nation thus far. He is all set to play another influential role for his country in next year’s Copa America after the tournament got delayed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
What Will The Colombian Playmaker Bring To Merseyside?
Despite struggling to get up and down the pitch these days, Rodriguez deserves credit for showing some glimpses of his form from his hay days. His playing style is easy on the eyes as he possesses outstanding ball-control and is full of tricks that enable him to find space and create some decent openings going forward. The Colombian sensation also packs a lot of power and precision with his strikes from long range which Ancelotti can look to capitalise on if he can lure him to Goodison Park this summer.
Will Recruiting Rodriguez Be A Wise Move For The Toffees?
The Italian tactician got the best out of Rodriguez during his time as the Real Madrid manager. Hence, the South American talent might fancy rekindling his old form under his former head coach at Merseyside next season. A playmaker of Rodriguez’s experience will be a wise, short-term addition to the Toffees squad. Despite his recent injury struggles, the talented midfielder has enough quality which makes him an upgrade over Tom Davies, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Fabian Delph, Andre Gomes and Morgan Schneiderlin after they all failed to impress the Goodison faithful this season.
The Colombian will not only enhance the quality of Everton’s midfield but also propel them to break into the Premier League’s top 6 in the coming years if he can show some signs of improvement under Ancelotti’s stewardship. He will also allow the Toffees manager to be more flexible with his team selection and tactical formations in the upcoming campaign.
