James looks likely to leave Everton this summer after Ancelotti departure

Unsurprisingly it looks increasingly probable that James Rodriguez will be leaving Everton in this summer transfer window.

As soon as Carlo Ancelotti left Everton it was an open question whether the Colombian attacker would be interested in staying at Goodison Park.

Obviously as we all know Rodriguez only came last summer because Ancelotti was the Toffees manager and the two have a strong and longstanding relationship.

Now the rumour mill is starting to crank up with stories that James will be offered to a number of major European clubs as his agent (who is Jorge Mendes) tries to get him a move.

According to these reports those include two clubs Ancelotti previously managed; Napoli and AC Milan as well as Atletico and of course possibly too Real Madrid, the obvious destination now Ancelotti has returned to Los Blancos.

It has been a strange year or so since the Colombian sensationally signed for the Blues in the heady days of optimism that characterised that summer of transfer dealings.

And it all started so well with the opening day win at Tottenham sparking a seven game winning run and all too brief hopes that perhaps this Toffees team could do something.

In truth, although Rodriguez is a superb talent whose technical skill and creativity added a new dimension to Everton’s attacking play, he was often absent inevitably through injury so his impact while usually good, was also very sporadic.

James contributed six goals and four assists in the Premier League last season, certainly not a bad return at all.

The problem is that because he was so often injured and anyway approaching 30, it was difficult to build a long-term consistent side with the key creative talent in and out of the side constantly.

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In addition, Rodriguez style of play tended to highlight another significant problem and that was the issue with the balance of the team on the right hand side.

The Colombian, although nominally a right sided attacker likes to drift inside and often ended up playing as a sort of roving number ten and that meant it was crucial the Toffees had a good quality, energetic and reliable right-back to cover the space there.

Unfortunately, Seamus Coleman, while a fine player at his best and a great servant to club, hasn’t been the same since his series of injuries a few years ago and again last season was plagued by problems that also kept him out of the side for long periods.

Given Ancelotti’s departure, Rodriguez’s injuries and the increasing likelihood of Rafa Benitez taking over at Goodison Park, it would seem that it’s perhaps time to draw a line under the slightly surreal twelve months or so when a genuine South American superstar came to Everton and briefly showcased his talent at the Grand Old Lady.

Hopefully Everton can get at least fifteen to twenty million quid for a player they signed on a free. The sad thing is that Blues fans never got the chance to see him live while he was here.

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