Rodriguez's move to Real Madrid More Costly Than It Seems

Rewind back to James Rodriguez's FC Porto days, and the only major club you'd find interested in the winger would be Manchester United. It was reported that the young winger had caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, and had been scouted a couple of times already. Fast forward his career a bit, and he was the buzz of the world after his stellar performances in the world cup, catching the eye of Florentino Perez, a man who always gets what he wants. Once again, Perez has got his man, but this time for a whopping £63 million. Is that the only downside to the arrival of James at the Bernabeu, though?

Was signing James Rodriguez really necessary for Real Madrid?

 Firstly, James Rodriguez is still finding his feet in the 'big' leagues, as the only leagues he has flourished in so far are the Portuguese league with FC Porto, and Ligue 1 with AS Monaco. Thus, he is still new to the spotlight, and so some will argue that a move to Real Madrid comes too early for the youngster. On the other hand, some can argue that Rodriguez can only improve at Real Madrid, where he is surrounded by better coaches, staff and players compared to Monaco or Porto.

Secondly, Perez has made a massive sum of money for a player based on his performances in one major tournament. Before the world cup, there was no way that Real Madrid would have paid Monaco £63 million for James. In fact, I doubt Madrid would be interested in James at all! Judging a player based on only a couple of games is very risky, mainly because you cannot analyse a player's major strengths and weaknesses when he's only played a top class opposition once in the tournament (referring to Brazil - Colombia match in the World Cup).

Lastly, and most importantly, its the players who have to pack up their bags to make room for Rodriguez at Real Madrid. The arrivals of Rodriguez and Kroos will undoubtedly affect players like Modric, Xabi Alonso, Assier Illaramendi, Angel di Maria and Isco, some of whom will have to depart this summer in search for new opportunities.The players most likely to make way are Alonso, di Maria and Isco. It might sound crazy that the arrival of one player means potential exits for three, but in all reality, the arrival of James Rodriguez upsets the balance of Ancelotti's side.

It remains unlikely that Ancelotti would want to sacrifice any one of Bale, Ronaldo or Benzema from the attacking three of his line-up, or play James in di Maria's role, a spot in the team almost destined to be taken over by Kroos, leaving the manager with only one choice: reverting the formation back to 4-2-3-1. As I said, reverting back to this formation would upset the balance, as a defensive midfielder (Xabi Alonso/Illaramendi) will be needed alongside Kroos in the two man midfield, but it would be difficult to leave out Modric and Khedira every week.

Although James Rodriguez is undoubtedly a brilliant player who is technically very sound, he provides Carlo Ancelotti with a massive decision which could affect the futures of talented players like Isco and di Maria. Also, Rodriguez will have to live up to some massive expectations which come along with his £63 million price tag. And although he definitely has the potential to fulfill the expectations, Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in the world and nailing down a permanent spot in the starting line up is a massive challenge in itself for James, let alone fulfilling the desires of the worldwide fanbase. In my opinion, Rodriguez is a 'luxury' buy rather than a necessity, and we will see whether or not Perez's signing will prove to be fruitful in the eagerly awaited season.

Article written by: Mayank Tiwary. Twitter: @VanPerseing