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According to talkSPORT, Everton have just completed the signing of Real Madrid attacking-midfielder James Rodriguez on a three-year deal for a fee reported to be around £22 million. James Rodriguez, who is set to join Allan from Napoli tomorrow at Goodison Park where both players will complete their medicals, has proved to be a real coup for the Toffees.
Rodriguez, the 2014 FIFA World Cup hero for Colombia, will reunite with Carlo Ancelotti after having played under the Italian manager at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old has been deprived of playing-time in recent months with Real Madrid post the COVID-19 lockdown, making just two substitute appearances.
James Rodriguez has been out of favour at Real Madrid for the last three seasons. He spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons on loan at Bayern Munich, contributing 14 goals in 53 appearances. Bayern, however, decided not to sign him on a permanent transfer once his loan spell ended.
Everton's squad revamp begins with the imminent signing of James Rodriguez
Everton finished the 2019-20 Premier League season in 12th place. Midway through the season, they sacked coach Marco Silva after a 5-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby that left them in 18th place. Everton owner Farhard Moshiri moved quickly and appointed Carlo Ancelotti to revitalise the club.
Ancelotti has had a positive impact on the club, especially on players like Richarlison, Dominic Calvert Lewin, Mason Holgate and Tom Davies, but was only able to guide Everton to a 12th-place finish. At the end of the season, the Italian stated that Everton needed a massive squad revamp and a change in their playertransfer policy.
Everton in the past have failed miserably in the transfer market. Their recent big-money signings such as Cenk Tosun for £27m, Gylfi Sigurdsson for £40 million and Moise Keane for €27.5m have all failed to make an impact at the club. These represent only a few of the transfer failings of the club in the recent past.
The addition of a marquee player like Rodriguez is a statement of intent by Ancelotti and is a marker of the kind of players he would want at Everton to take the club forward.
With the competition for European places intensifying every season, Everton are well off the pace for a top-7 finish as the likes of Leicester City, Wolves and Sheffield United are playing much better football than them at the moment. The signings of Rodriguez and Allan from Napoli could, however, give Everton the quality and thrust they need to mount a challenge in the top-half of the Premier League table.
