Andros Townsend told talkSPORT on Wednesday afternoon that James Rodriguez will want to leave Everton now after Carlo Ancelotti’s exit.
When Rodriguez, 29, joined Everton last summer, many felt it was Ancelotti’s pull that allowed them to secure his signature.
But on Tuesday, Everton were dealt a major blow when Real Madrid came knocking, once again, for their Italian boss, and he was out of the exit door by the end of the day.
Given that Ancelotti signed the likes of Allan and Rodriguez – players he coached before – talk did start about whether those players will now be looking to leave because he’s no longer at the club.
Palace winger, Townsend, cannot see Allan heading for the exit door, but he can see Rodriguez trying to ’cause some fuss’ to leave this summer.
“I think Allan and Doucoure will be okay,” said Townsend. “I think James Rodriguez, he came to Everton for Ancelotti. He was his guy.
“He will probably be feeling that he wants to leave as well. He didn’t have the greatest second half of the season. He started off on fire then tailed off.
“He’s probably thinking ‘my manager has gone maybe I am going to cause some fuss and get myself out as well’.”
Rodriguez may have excited Everton fans when he first arrived on Merseyside, but that soon faded away as the Premier League season drew to a close.
Injuries haven’t helped the quick-thinking playmaker, but one thing is for sure, he perhaps hasn’t met the expectations that were set for him when he first joined.
But regardless of what the Everton players are thinking about Ancelotti’s departure, the board have to bring in an uplifting name because this was a surprising body blow to the club yesterday.
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