Arsenal opinion: Should Emery sign James Rodriguez?

According to a report from the Mirror, Real Madrid have no plans of keeping Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez at the Bernabeu next season.

The 27-year-old is currently at the end of his 2-year loan spell with Bayern Munich and the German champions are unlikely to activate the option of making his deal permanent.

The report reveals that Premier League duo Arsenal and Manchester United along with Italian giants Napoli and Juventus are all interested in signing the Colombian in the summer but James’ style of play would be an ideal fit at the Emirates.

Arsenal have had their problems in terms of creativity and the Gunners have been heavily reliant on Granit Xhaka’s vision from his deeper role. Mesut Ozil had his problems with Unai Emery earlier in the season but the German has seemed to regain his manager’s trust in recent weeks.

Ozil has been a phenomenal player for the Gunners at home but the 30-year-old, like most of his teammates, has struggled away from home. His recent performance against Everton, where he was allowed no space to work with, was very poor.

Unai Emery has forced the German out wide due to Arsenal’s lack of quality wingers and that hasn’t helped the German’s cause. Above all that, Ozil turned 30 last October and the former Real Madrid superstar’s age will also play a massive part next season.

James would be an ideal replacement for Mesut Ozil and like the German, his vision and ability to create chances is world-class. Rodriguez is also a lot comfortable on the wing, having featured there a number of times throughout his career.

Rodriguez, unlike Ozil, is also a clinical goalscorer who needs no second invitation to have a pop at goal from distance. Still only 27, the Colombian is at the peak of his game and has at least 4 good years left in the top-flight.

In his two years with Bayern Munich, Rodriguez has directly contributed to 35 goals in 64 games in all competitions despite not starting in 15 of those games. The former Monaco man isn’t short of experience either, having played over 370 senior games across four leagues in his career so far.

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Conclusion

Arsenal should beat the likes of Juventus, Napoli and rivals Manchester United for the signing of James Rodrigues in the summer. The Colombian’s presence in the Arsenal midfield with or in place of Mesut Ozil will massively bolster the Gunners’ attack and Arsenal’s strikers will thrive in his service.