James Rodríguez is being one of the protagonists in this start of the Premier League season. His arrival at Everton, and consequent reunion with Ancelotti, generated great illusion in a needy hobby such as Everton and the first two league games have served to demonstrate that these expectations were justified.
In the first victory against Tottenham, James already left flashes of quality but in the win against West Brom on the second day, the Colombian had a very outstanding performance in which he scored a great goal and a pass to Richarlison to remember that would end up becoming the fourth goal of the Toffes. Two games, two victories and the fans are beginning to forget about the disaster of the previous season in which the team finished in 12th place.
The James effect is being so noticeable that even New York Times has surrendered to the arrival of the Colombian to Everton and the Premier League. The prestigious newspaper has published an article in which they talk about the impact that the landing of such a media player at Goodison Park has had. On the same day of your signing, Torre Colpatria, the tallest building in Colombia, was dyed blue with the number 19, James' new number. In addition, there were also exhibitions in Times Square and Miami Beach. The club's own marketing director, Richard Kenyon, explained that according to his estimates James is the eighth athlete with the highest following on social networks.
Taking this into account, the American newspaper wonders if this is one of the strange situations in which at times a player is more important than a club. The article states that James has broken the logic followed by teams like Everton regarding signings in recent years. The historical clubs that are not part of the elite, a group in which the Toffes are counted, They tend to sign promising young players to give them a showcase in which to show themselves and then sell them to the European giants. In this way Ajax, RB Leipzig, Monaco and Lyon have achieved sporting success, all of them reaching the Champions semi-finals in recent years.
But the signing of James goes totally against that logic. It involves signing a star who has no place in a team like Madrid or interest from any other giant. Also, at 29 years old represents an investment that will not be recovered, since when the contract ends in 2022 or 2023 (the team has the option of one more year), the Colombian will already be well into his thirties.
But this does not have to have a negative connotation since if James is going to achieve something, it is for the Everton fans to have fun. For the first time in many years, his star is not an emerging talent but a consecrated player who when on the field gives the feeling of being able to change the course of a match in just one second. “It makes fans believe that anything can happen any second, that nothing is lost, that there is always a reason to trust“, in the own words of the NY Times.
James Rodríguez aims to be one of the protagonists of this season in England, not only entertaining and making Everton fans enjoy, but also all Premier League fans.