Chelsea should do everything in their power to land James Rodriguez

Chelsea are back in the hunt for Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez, according to the latest reports. They should do their utmost to sign the Colombian.

Two years ago, James Rodriguez’s star was on the rise. He was the hottest young talent in Europe, hype further bolstered by his own top notch World Cup performances. All of this made sure that Real Madrid would break bank for him. Monaco were paid double the amount they invested in James.

It all started so well for him in Madrid as James didn’t disappoint during his first season. He worked hard for the manager and was very effective as an attacker. Playing from a wide right position for the most part, James accrued a whopping 30 goals and assists in that campaign. It looked like he was set to become Madrid’s key player for years to come.

However the following summer, Carlo Ancelotti was fired and his successor Rafa Benitez didn’t last long either. Finally, footballing icon Zinedine Zidane was appointed as the manager and James has never quite been able to establish himself in the team.

Now, looking in from the outside, it appears that James might be considering his options in search of more playing time.

"Things are not going as I would want. But I have had offers and I have these seven days [over the winter break] to think well about everything. I want to stay, but you must think about everything. I cannot assure you what will happen, as I want to play more. – via ESPNFC"

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While James became a household name because of his great performances in the 2014 World Cup, he was by no means an unknown prior to that. His performances for Porto earned him a €40 million move to AS Monaco where he spent a year generally impressing everyone in Ligue 1 with his all-round attacking play.

He could both score and create goals not to mention, while pleasing the eye in the process. Meanwhile, his pace and dribbling ability allowed him to dictate games.

There were whispers in the summer that Chelsea were interested in signing James Rodriguez but would face stiff competition from Manchester United. However, James ended up staying put. But now that he has himself opened the door, Chelsea should once again try their best to sign him.

At 25, he’d still be worth a massive investment and could possibly be resold at a good price if necessary. Beyond the vulgar numbers of transfer fees, James would add a different dimension to the Chelsea attack, something that has been missing since Juan Mata’s departure.

James is a naturally left-footed player and the Chelsea squad sorely needs a left-footed attacking player in the squad. A left-footed player cutting in from the right wing would find the angles to create or shoot with his foot very favourable.

This would mean that attackers now have to worry about the variety of movement his introduction can provide the team. As an inverted forward, James would provide a massive boost to the Chelsea title charge.

For the past few years, Chelsea have struggled to fill that right wing position. Willian, for all his merits, lacks the ability to consistently make a difference in games and while Pedro has proven that he can be a very effective inside forward, his performances in games away from home have shown his limitations.