Toffee TV presenter Barry Cass has been discussing what the future could look like for James Rodriguez and what would happen if he left Everton this summer.
It has been reported that Rodriguez may be open to moving to the San Siro, with AC Milan said to be interested in signing the Colombian, as his reported intentions to leave the Toffees emerged ever since Carlo Ancelotti departed the club.
Do you think Rodriguez has been a good signing?
Yes, he has been fantastic
No, too injury prone
Rodriguez finished the season with just four assists in the league for Everton, but did top the charts for goal-creating actions. However, he struggled to stay fit and ended up missing 12 games for the Toffees, and Sky Sports has reported that the club would be willing to sell him this summer if they received a good enough offer.
The midfielder’s future was discussed on the latest episode of Everton News Daily by Cass.
“Sky Sports are reporting that James Rodriguez can leave Everton if the right offer comes in. This has been bouncing around since last week. It’s disappointing news, obviously, James is an excellent footballer – six goals and nine assists last season, a lot of goal involvements, created a lot of big chances, but looks as though he is not going to be guaranteed games at Everton under the new regime.
“Jorge Mendes is trying to get him a move to Milan, that’s coming out of Italy, and apparently, Mendes has been trying to get him a move to Milan since Carlo Ancelotti left back in June – so even before Everton had appointed Rafa Benitez.
“So, we’ll have to wait and see whether that offer does come in. He’s Everton’s highest earner by a considerable margin, and if Everton need to free up some space in the wage bill due to the profit and sustainability rules in the Premier League, or for FFP, whatever way you want to look at it – then losing James Rodriguez might be a way to do that, however disappointing that is.
“And it is disappointing because if he does go, we need to somehow replace those goals and the assists that he creates. But it’d be really disappointing for a lot of Evertonians if he does leave the football club in the next three weeks.”
TIF Thoughts on Rodriguez’s future…
If Rafa Benitez has not been convinced by his work ethic or his ability to fit into the Spaniard’s style of play for this upcoming season, then the Toffees would do well to shift him off their wage bill and reinvest any incoming money and wages into new signings.
Everton arguably don’t have another player like Rodriguez in terms of stature, but considering he is now 30 years old and prone to injuries, as fans witnessed last season, his future may be better off away from Goodison Park and the Premier League.