Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has backed Everton to sign Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez this summer, simply because Carlo Ancelotti is at the Goodison Park helm.
Robinson believes Ancelotti is the pulling power that will see top-draw calibre players want to join the Toffees in the next transfer window, as the Italian has been a game-changer for where the club sits in players’ thoughts.
James is said to be a potential summer target for the Blues, with reports by Defensa Central suggesting the club will look to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to the punch, although we are only willing to offer between €15m (£13.1m) and €20million (£17.5m) whilst Los Blancos are hopeful of making back €50m (£43.9m) of the £71m they paid AS Monaco in 2014.
Those claims have since been backed up by Marca, who noted at the end of March that James’ days at the Santiago Bernabeu are numbered and that the 28-year-old is seduced by the prospect of reuniting with Ancelotti amid interest from Arsenal.
Robinson would seemingly not be surprised if Marca’s claims are true and that James is wearing Royal Blue next season.
“Ancelotti can get the best out of any player,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“He is the pull for Everton. It is a completely different Everton going into the transfer market with Ancelotti at the helm.
“All of a sudden you are putting names like Rodriguez in the same sentence as Everton. Before, you would not have done. He is a realistic target because of the manager.
“However, he has been widely touted quite regularly so it will be interesting to see where he is. He is a top player.”
Everton would be taking a fairly large gamble on James if Director of Football Marcel Brands were to court the Colombian, as the two-time Champions League winner has made scarce appearances for Real amid what has been an injury ravished campaign.
Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane has awarded James just four starting roles in La Liga this season, having seen the 76-cap international miss action due to a calf injury, a medial collateral ligament injury and a hip injury.
The risk could still come with rewards, though, as a fully-fit James is capable of producing when needed, as shown in his seven goals and four assists in 1,139 minutes of Bundesliga football with Bayern Munich while on loan at the Allianz Arena last season.
If Ancelotti wants the move as much as James seems to, Real Madrid’s valuation may be the only thing denying the boss a “top player” as Robinson suggests.
In other Everton news, Marcel Brands making moves to sign a 2-cap defender this summer seem unlikely following claims the 27-year-old would be an ideal target.