James Rodriguez Signs For Everton In Exchange Of A Big Transfer.
Everton completed the signing of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid on Monday, reuniting the Colombian playmaker with manager Carlo Ancelotti for a third time.
The Premier League club are reported to have paid £22 million ($29 million) for the 29-year-old, who was top scorer at the 2014 World Cup.
James’s performances on the world stage earned him an 80 million euro ($95 million) move to Madrid six years ago and he shone in his first season in the Spanish capital under Ancelotti’s management.
However, he fell down the pecking order in Zinedine Zidane’s two spells in charge at the Bernabeu and failed to impress in a two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich between 2017 and 2019, where he also worked under Ancelotti.
James becomes Everton’s second signing of the transfer window after the arrival of Brazilian international Allan from Napoli and believes the future is bright for the Toffees despite a disappointing 12th place finish in the Premier League last season.
“I’m convinced, with Carlo and his technical staff, we can achieve big things and one of the big reasons (I signed) was the presence of Carlo Ancelotti.
“I have enjoyed some great times with him previously at two different clubs. That was a massive reason to come here.”
Everton have not won a major trophy since 1995, but James said that is his target after signing a two-year deal with the option of a club option for a third.
“I’m a winner, I’m a real winner,” he added. “I can see the plans here, the project here is very serious. Everyone means business.