What's next for James Rodriguez? Former Real Madrid star without a club following Olympiacos exit
- Zak Anderton
- 15 April 2023
Following the termination of his contract at Olympiacos, there are question marks over the future of James Rodriguez. Planet Sport takes a look into where the playmaker could end up.
James Rodriguez has had somewhat of a fall from grace over the last few years, going from hero to zero in a matter of a few seasons.
Rodriguez was widely regarded as a wonderkid during his time at Madrid but soon fell out of favour following a poor run of form.
In order to revitalise his career, he took a punt and joined his former manager, Carlo Ancelotti, at Everton.
During his time there, he became somewhat of a cult hero, quicikly regaining his form and showcased his talent in one of the most competitive leagues in football.
However, Ancelotti left the following season which made the playmaker change his thoughts about staying at Everton and joined Al-Rayyan in Qatar Star League.
His contract was terminated at the club before the end of the season by mutual consent.
He then joined Olympiacos and joined up with former teammate, Marcelo. Over the last week, his contract has yet again been terminated.
This begs the question, what's next for the Colombian?
He hadn't featured for Olympiacos since January due to an injury he suffered during his time at the club.
One avenue that seems to be popping up for Rodriguez is a move to Turkey.
The likes of Bestikas and Galatasary have already been contacted by his agent, Jorge Mendes.
It's claimed that in their bid to become more of a challenger in Europe, Galatasary are looking to add players into their squad with Champions League experience.
He would be an ideal replacement for Juan Mata whose contract expires this summer.
Bestikas, on the other hand, are wanting to add a creative midfielder to replace Dele Alli.
Alli's move to Turkey didn't work as planned with the former England international being expelled from the squad for the remainder of the season.
He would fulfill the playmaker role left by Alli extrememely well and his addition would even allow some of the youngsters within the squad to be mentored by him.
One thing is for sure, whichever team Rodriguez next finds himself at is likely to be his final chance at reinvigorating his career after suffering two consecutively terminated contracts.
