Paul Joyce: Rodriguez and Delph likely to exit Everton this summer
Fabian Delph and James Rodriguez are both likely to leave this summer if Everton can find buyers for the pair, according to Times journalist Paul Joyce.
Rafa Benitez gave his first press conference as Everton manager on Wednesday and as he spoke to the media, the Spaniard eluded to getting rid of players on big wages in order to stop the club from being in breach of profit and sustainability rules.
As quoted by The Times, Benitez said: “Everybody knows that this club has spent a lot of money in the last few years. That means that financial fair play is there, so you have to respect the rules and you have to manage in the best way possible.
“If you have players with big salaries that normally aren’t playing, then you want to find a solution and this solution will mean you have money to spend on new players.”
After those quotes, Joyce reports that two players who could be moved on by Everton this summer are Rodriguez, 30, and Delph, 31.
There are no surprises here, in all honesty.
Delph is in the last year of his contract at Goodison Park and the former Manchester City and Aston Villa midfielder managed to make just 10 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees last season.
He’s had injury issues and simply isn’t good enough for the club any more with the direction they want to head in.
It could be difficult to get rid of Delph due to the injuries he’s had in the last 12 months but if we can loan him out, get him off the wage bill and then release him next summer, that would be a good idea.
As for Rodriguez, there will no doubt be some Evertonians who want the Colombia international to stay.
However, we got a feeling in the second half of last season that the ex-Real Madrid playmaker thinks he’s above Everton and really doesn’t want to be at Goodison.
And, let’s face it, as soon as Carlo Ancelotti left, Rodriguez was the one player we all thought would probably follow the Italian through the Goodison exit doors.
Rodriguez is a talented player but if he’s on a lot of money and isn’t pulling his weight for the club, getting rid of him is also a good idea.
In other Everton news, Benitez responded when he was asked about Rodriguez’s future.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.