Al Rayyan playmaker James Rodriguez has revealed he wanted to stay at Everton.
Rodriguez linked up with manager Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park in the summer of 2020.
The signing of the Colombian midfielder saw an immediate upturn in form but, by the following summer, he would leave the club, as did Ancelotti.
Former Everton Playmaker James Rodriguez Wanted to Stay at Club
New Quotes From Rodriguez
Rodriguez’s time at Goodison Park was cut short after one season. The exit of Carlo Ancelotti, who chose to return to Real Madrid, was always likely to have had a huge impact on the 30-year-old’s future. It has now emerged that the arrival of Rafa Benitez to replace Ancelotti with The Toffees may have been the end of the short-lived journey.
In quotes reported by Fabrizio Romano, James Rodriguez said: “I would have liked to have been at Everton for much longer. It’s a spectacular club, the fans are incredible, but I ran into a coach who didn’t want to count on me. I wanted to be there.
“Unfortunately, the coach didn’t want to count on me.”
Rodriguez scored six goals and assisted nine in his 26 appearances for the blue half of Merseyside. He was a coup signing for Everton and had an immediate impact contributing to six goals in his first five Premier League appearances. However, much of the remainder of the season saw him absent through injury. He would contribute to just five more league goals for the club.
Now, with Al Rayyan in Qatar, Rodriguez has scored three and assisted four in nine appearances. A recent poor run of form resulted in former Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc leaving his position as manager. They sit ninth in the Qatar Stars League and recently appointed Nicolas Cordova on an interim basis.
Richarlison Reveals Rodriguez Exit Hit Everton Hard
Everton’s Brazilian forward Richarlison recently backed Rodriguez’s claims in an interview with TNT Sports, cited by the Liverpool Echo, he said; “When I arrived from the Olympics, I was even surprised at how much he was running and dedicating himself to training, training well.
“And out of nowhere, the coach (Benitez) said he didn’t count on him anymore. And nobody understood anything. So I think that weighed a little on the group because we know about James’ quality.”
Also referencing the exits of Lucas Digne and Bernard, Richarlison added: “We had a united group there and ended up losing two important players. So I think that’s it. James, we wish him all the best.
“It’s like I said, we had everything to reach the Europa League or the Champions League and we lose players so easily, through injury too. It ends up making competition difficult.”
Richarlison himself is a key player for the Blues, nearing 50 goals in over 100 appearances. He and his teammates will hope the appointment of Frank Lampard to replace Rafa Benitez last month will see a change in fortunes around the club.
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