James exit confirmed as Colombian leaves Everton

So the brief and slightly surreal James Rodriguez era at Everton has come to an end as the Colombian star leaves for a new club in the Middle East.

Rodriguez’s departure will probably elicit mixed emotions from Everton supporters. For many it will be hugely disappointing to see such a superstar talent leave Goodison Park.

Other fans might well think that he has shown little interest in playing for the club recently, especially since his mentor Carlo Ancelotti left in June, so the Toffees may as well let him leave and get his expensive wages off the books.

But whatever the overiding feeling it’s a shame that his brief sojurn in English football should come to such a limp end.

Like most Blues I remember the sense of excitment and anticipation when James was announced as an Everton player last summer.

It came of course on the back of Ancelotti’s arrivial the previous December and seemed to signal a new ambition and profile for the club.

Suddenly Everton had a world class coach and player who has won Champions Leagues and the club had hugely increased it’s profile, particularly in South America.

Then when the 2020-21 season kicked off in eerily silent stadiums the Toffees went to Tottenham and won 1-0 with Rodriguez displaying his mercurial skill and creativity in full. The team looked transformed playing a free-flowing attacking game.

After that opening day win, the Blues went on a seven game winning run and were playing with a verve and real attacking flair of a kind that hadn’t been seen at Goodison Park for a number of years.

Tentatively, Evertonians were beginning to feel hope for the season ahead and that perhaps at last the club had got it right.

Then came the first international break of the season and when the players returned, several with minor knocks, and the first game back was a highly controversial derby that saw a Liverpool player seriously injured and Richarlison sent off for a late, petulant foul that meant he was banned for three matches.

However, one moment in that game that didn’t grab the headlines was a clash between Rodriguez and Virgil Van Dijk (before he was injured) which left the Colombian with a knock that he played through for the rest of the game.

Despite getting through that match, James was then out for several games and in fact he never really recovered his full fitness and sharpness particularly as he was also periodically flying thousands of miles for international fixtures, which didn’t help his ability to recover.

Rodriguez only fitfully contributed to the rest of Everton’s season and by the end of the campaign he was again injured as the Blues increasingly remote hopes of European football faded.

Once Ancelotti left and then eventually Rafa Benitez succeeded him it always seemed likely James would leave Merseyside and after amany rumours and several abortive potential deals, he has now left for pastures new.

Well the Toffees move on without him we will see if he’s missed over the course of this coming season as Benitez manages his limited attacking resources.