September 20, (THEWILL) –Â Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez is in Qatar ahead of talks with a Qatari football club over a potential move from English Premier League side Everton.
Rodriguez’s place in the Everton first team has been unclear since the change of manager. He was initially rumoured to be heading back to Real Madrid alongside Carlo Ancelloti. However, that moved I’d not materialise.
With the likelihood of playing a more limited role in new manager Rafael Benitez’s plans, a move away appears the best bet for the Colombian star.
If he moves, it will be a cost-saving move for Everton given that his wages are reported to be £200,000 a week. This is especially important because Benitez has had cause to bemoan their financial handicap when he spoke about his frustration not being able to sign more players because Financial Fair Play rules had “killed” the club.
In that September 11 post-match comment, Benitez had linked Rodriguez’s future to their finances when he said: “It’s always up to the player. In the end he has the final decision. Some markets are open and then we had some problem with the Financial Fair Play rules, so we need to consider any option and see what happens.”
The talented Rodriguez, who shot to fame with his exploits for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he won the Golden Boot, has also played for Porto, Monaco and Bayern Munich.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
