Few impending signings have generated as much excitement as James Rodriguez did last summer as what was floated as a vague possibility, due to his past association with Carlo Ancelotti, coalesced into a viable transfer option for Everton and then, of course, ended with the Colombian's arrival on 7 September. 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, £63m-plus Galactico, and bona fide global star, James was the most naturally-gifted player the Blues have signed in the modern era.

Under Ancelotti, the feeling was that, if he could stay fit enough for long enough, James could prove to be a transformative presence at Everton in a new-look midfield that had been bolstered by the acquisition of Allan from Napoli and Abdoulaye Doucouré from Watford. And for a few giddy weeks at the start of 2020/21, it looked as though the Blues were finally destined to achieve something of note as they became the early pace-setters in the Premier League and won their first seven matches in all competitions with their new star at the height of it all.

Rodriguez scored three goals in that time and was the beating heart in a team brimming with goals and excitement but, starting with the fall-out from the Goodison derby that followed the international break, things unravelled in disturbingly quick — and very Evertonian — fashion. Jordan Pickford was pilloried for his role in ending Virgil van Dijk's season, Richarlison picked up a damaging three-game suspension for a horrible lunge on Thiago Alcantara and James himself was injured by Van Dijk's own cynical “tackle” early in the proceedings.

The Colombian would start the next match, a miserable 2-0 defeat at Southampton, but it was clear he was nowhere near right and the injury seemed to affect him for weeks afterwards until his troublesome calf problem flared up in December. Indeed, between the home game against Liverpool and his brilliant goal against Leicester in late January 2021, he didn't find the net once or register a single assist, his effectiveness much diminished as Everton struggled for consistency under Ancelotti, especially at home.

That dreadful home form would, sadly, come to define Ancelotti's only full season as Everton boss and it didn't help that James was only available for eight games at Goodison Park from New Year's Day onwards, the Colombian's increasing absence and seeming disengagement another feature of the second-half of 2020/21.

On the whole, it was a difficult spell for the team, with creativity in desperately short supply and a general lack of attacking cohesion plaguing the team against a backdrop of key absences for the likes of Allan and Doucouré. They weren't ideal conditions for a player trying to stay fit and adapt to a new environment, a new team, and a new system in more physical league. Rodriguez's need to pace himself — “save” himself even — during matches was at odds with the generally expected blood-sweat-and-tears maxim that drives supporter expectation at Goodison.

In that sense, he was the quintessential luxury player, one who appeared to make sense for a team managed by Ancelotti and when the full first-choice XI was available, but that was rare. Too often, the team generally struggled to move the ball forward effectively and James floundered, easily targeted by opposition sides who closed him down, worked out his signature cross-field passes and exploited the spaces he left behind him when the Toffees didn't have the ball.

And yet he could produce moments of magic that not only secured vital points but which hinted at the dynamic presence he could be in 2021/22 with more quality around him and, hopefully, a better fitness record. That strike against the Champions League-chasing Foxes, another expertly-taken goal against Old Trafford against Manchester United and a sumptuous assist at Anfield that set Everton on their way to a first away win against Liverpool since 1999 were moments of undoubted quality that set James apart from the rest of the squad.

Rodriguez's continued presence at Goodison wasn't assured even had Ancelotti stayed at the club. He admitted that the physicality of the English league was something he was trying to get used to, there will always be suitors for players of his quality, and what many took to be a lack of commitment to the cause at the back end of last season soured his image among Evertonians.

He played just once in the final seven matches of the season, his absence variously explained as being due to his calf problem or plain fatigue, before he flew back to Colombia before the campaign's last fixture, the discomfort among fans heightened by an Instagram photo of James reclining on a bed in a luxury jet somewhere over the Atlantic.

It was a disappointingly neat summation of the dilemma that James presents to a club in Everton's current position, particularly now that Ancelotti has left and the Premier League's profit-and-sustainability rules are starting to bite hard. The Blues can't spend the way they would need to to surround Rodriguez with the talent that would support him and make him feel more at home. But without it, he can never re-find his best form and, as a result, won't ever truly be happy on Merseyside.

The 30-year-old has openly admitted that he only signed because of his former manager so, despite the fact that he dresses his kids in Toffees gear, he probably holds no real affection for the club, a situation not helped by the fact that he has yet to experience a packed and passionate Goodison Park. Because of Covid lockdown football played in empty stadiums, Everton hasn't been able to “touch” James in that way and yet even once he gets to experience the Grand Old Lady 40,000 strong, he likely won't blink if a high-profile team from Serie A or La Liga comes calling.

Everton, of course, could do with the transfer fee to give them precious wiggle-room in the market in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window. The misinformation, speculation and obfuscation that had James costing £20m but taking a pay-cut to join morphed into him being a free transfer after all. However, according to the most recent reporting, he is drawing north of a lofty but unlikely £200,000 a week in wages and the financial impact of even half that figure is a huge calculation for the club. It no doubt explains why Rafael Benitez has said that James isn't central to his plans this season.

As yet, despite press reports claiming that his agent, Jorge Mendes, has been hawking him around Europe, no willing buyer has emerged; those salary demands and his chequered fitness record giving many teams pause. Blues fans appear resigned to him leaving before the transfer deadline but there is a definite possibility that Rodriguez could still be at the club for the next few months at least.

That poses the risk of having an unmotivated player on the books in a side that, at present, doesn't look as though it will be augmented by further quality this summer without additional sales and under a manager with whom James hasn't always seen eye-to-eye.

But it also presents an opportunity to fashion the team around his undoubted talent and, rather than stick him out wide where his defensive deficiencies make him an obvious weakness, deploy him as a genuine No.10 (and give him that squad number as well, please!) behind two reliable goalscorers and with the all-important outlet of genuine wingers at his disposal. Provided he can stay fit to play between 25-plus games, his genius could yet be one of the few high spots in a season that already looks to be one of austerity and consolidation.

His susceptibility to injury, of course, is always the big caveat and when his cost-of-ownership is factored in, it might be the biggest force pushing him towards the exit door. Unless his departure paves the way for the signing of a real difference-maker, it would be a massive shame to lose him. James Rodriguez is one of the best players of his generation, one capable of winning a game on his own and, again, a potentially joy-inspiring counter to the negativity surrounding the appointment of Benitez. A Rolls Royce of a player at a club blighted by so much mediocrity in the modern era.

If he stays, surely it behooves club, manager and team-mates alike to put everything behind him and make his second and final season at Everton one to remember for all concerned?


Reader Responses

Selected thoughts from readers
Certain off-topic comments may be removed to keep the discussion on track

Either no responses have been submitted so far to this article or previous submissions are being assessed for inclusion.

Add Your Thoughts

Only registered users of Evertonia can participate in discussions.

» Log in now

Or Join as Evertonia Member — it takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your thoughts on artices across the site.