Everton: James is Ancelotti getting his way
Does the revived rumours of a new Everton move for James Rodriguez show that Carlo Ancelotti is wining control of the club’s transfer policy?
One of the questions that has been bubbling along under the surface of the bewildering number of player stories related to Everton this summer, has been the supposed tension over transfer policy between Ancelotti and Marcel Brands.
Brands has always favoured bringing in young players where possible, who might not always go straight into the first-team, but can continue there development and would then have a sell-on value in a few years time if the club wanted to cash in.
He has been focused on finding young emerging talent like Moise Kean, Alex Iwobi and Jarrad Branthwaite, all of whom fit this model, in theory at least. So you would imagine a move for Rodriguez certainly wouldn’t be a priority for Brands, given his age.
Ancelotti on the other hand has seemingly made it a priority for the Blues to sign experienced players who will come and deliver improved performances now, rather than possibly having to wait a year or two. He doesn’t have time to wait for teenagers to mature.
This view was further underlined for him by the team’s poor performances last season, including in particular, several of those recently signed young players.
Rodriguez is another experienced player, the same age as Allan, that Carlo Ancelotti has fond memories of after he managed the Colombian at both Real Madrid and then Bayern Munich.
He can play anywhere across the midfield or up front. Probably his best position after recent injuries, is operating behind the strikers in a No 10 type position. Fit and at his best, he would surely be able to provide the additional creativity and flair that the Blues really need.
Now, as the protracted negotiations for the Napoli midfielder drag on interminably, the Toffees have been linked again with a move for Rodriguez. So is the Italian getting his way?
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The excited media reports that Everton are negotiating a deal for Rodriguez, are always to be treated with due skepticism.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the Colombian is certainly a talented and generally productive player, although because of injuries, he hasn’t played a lot in recent seasons.
These injuries are one of the biggest issues with the Real Madrid player. He is at an age where such injuries can have a lasting impact on his ability to recover and perform to his best.
The Spanish club are willing to let Rodriguez go for a fee quoted to be around £25-30 million. This is far too high, given his age and injury record and if Everton are already negotiating to buy Allan as well as Abdoulaye Doucoure, then it would seem unlikely the Blues will pay that much.
If they do for whatever fee, it would perhaps be final confirmation that Ancelotti is now fully in the driving seat in terms of the club’s transfer strategy, for better or worse.