Former Chelsea midfielder isn’t surprised that James Rodriguez decided to join Everton last summer

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Former Chelsea midfielder isn’t surprised that James Rodriguez decided to join Everton last summer

Over the summer, one of the more surprising transfer moves was when Everton FC agreed to a deal for James Rodriguez.

In his first season with The Toffees, the 29-year-old has made 25 appearances where he’s scored six goals and nine assists. The Colombia international has dealt with injuries, but when he’s been out on the pitch for Everton, Rodriguez has made his presence known.

During an interview with the official Everton podcast (via Diario AS), Michael Essien discussed the arrival of Rodriguez. The former Chelsea FC midfielder stated that he isn’t surprised that the former Real Madrid player decided to accept a deal to Everton, and that’s due to in part of Carlo Ancelotti.

“I wasn’t surprised by the signing of James Rodríguez. If you’ve worked with Carlo before, wherever he goes and calls you, you can’t say no because you know the type of manager, the type of person he is. I was not surprised that James agreed to go to Everton because, as you can see, it has been fantastic for the team and for Everton,” Essien said.

Despite being a recent transfer, Rodriguez’s contract with Everton expires after next season, so discussions will likely begin at some point soon over extending the midfielder. It’s going to be interesting to see if both sides can reach a new deal.