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Should Real Madrid keep or sell James Rodriguez?

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Should Real Madrid keep or sell James Rodriguez
Image: BildByran

With the transfer window currently in its full swing, the summer has already witnessed a number of high-profile moves being chiseled out. While the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix have completed blockbuster moves, a couple of others lie in wait to follow their paths. One such world-class quality up for sale in the market is James Rodriguez.

The Columbian recently jetted back to Real Madrid after a two-year loan stint with Bayern Munich, after the Bavarians refused to activate his buyout clause. With Los Blancos too looking to get him off their wage bill, the 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to bitter rivals Atletico Madrid and Italian outfit Napoli. However, the recent series of events should rightly compel Real Madrid to give a second thought to the Columbian’s future at the Bernabeu.

Zinedine Zidane is currently facing a shortage of required goods after Marco Asensio suffered an ACL injury in Real Madrid’s pre-season tour. Add the fact that Gareth Bale will quit the club at some point of time, leaving the Frenchman scratching head over whom to deploy on the right wing. As it happens, the Merengues aren’t quite rich in terms of talent on that flank.

Lucas Vazquez appears to be the next best option, albeit the Spaniard has been used as a back-up right flank player. Another option would be to use the right-footed Vinicius Junior, which could be a risk for his development.

The Brazilian youngster is well-adept at functioning as an inverted winger on the left, capable of taking on defenders down the touchline and cutting inside to attack the goal. Shifting him to the right wing would mean Zidane will sacrifice the 19-year-old’s ability to score goals as he will be required to cross in more often, given his foot preference.

In light of this conundrum at the Bernabeu, Zinedine Zidane already has a solution right up his sleeve in James Rodriguez.

Being a left-footed player, James is a rare commodity blessed with versatility. The 28-year-old can be deployed as a striker, a number 10 playmaker, a wideman on the right flank and also a deep-lying playmaker at times. True, the Columbian hasn’t exactly matched the level of his performances for his country with those of his club, but he is definitely worth giving another try for Zidane.

On his part, James has already proven that he can operate well in the area Real Madrid need him to at the moment. The ex-Monaco playmaker flourished under Carlo Ancelotti playing in a wide role in a 4-4-2 formation, as Los Blancos went on to win their long-sought, historic 10th UEFA Chmapions League title. With Bayern Munich last season, he averaged 2.4 key passes per game with a passing accuracy of 86.3%. He also completes 1.3 dribbles per game.

For a number of times, James has been blamed for not being a stable asset when it comes to defending. However, when deployed higher up the pitch, the Columbian shows enough zeal and energy to press and win the ball back from his opponents.

Added to that, James has turned 28 recently, meaning he has entered the prime stage of his footballing career. Selling him at this point to Atletico Madrid would mean arming them in the one area they lack. Diego Simeone is scouring the market for a creative playmaker and should he snatch James, he will definitely get the best out of him.

With him in the lineup, Florentino Perez need not fork expand his spending spree anymore, knowing the quality the Columbian possesses. All in all, at this point in time, Real Madrid need James Rodriguez more than he needs them

SEE ALSO: Zinedine Zidane should drop the chase for Paul Pogba before it’s too late

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