Gabriele Marcotti: “James Rodriguez deal depends on two people”

Arsenal fans’ hopes of signing James Rodriguez this month rest on the shoulders of the head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head coach Unai Emery, according to Europen Football expert and ESPN FC pundit Gabriele Marcotti. “To do what?” Marcotti said when asked if Rodriguez would join Arsenal. “Like seriously, who comes out [with this]? What another attacker? Look, anything’s possible, Raul Sanllehi operates differently and if Unai Emery really likes him. But you’d have what, another attacking midfielder type, who’s going to do what [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan and [Mesut] Ozil do, only he’d do it slower. “I don’t think this addresses Arsenal’s needs. They’ve been linked with a lot of guys like that. I think it just shows the absolute confusion that seems to be raining at the club right now. But no, a short answer, given his wages, I think it’s entirely unlikely.” Meanwhile, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has played down suggestions that James Rodriguez could leave the club in January. On suggestions Bayern could buy Rodriguez and then look to sell for a profit, he added: “This is not Bayern’s style. If we decide to sign a player, then he also remains a part of Bayern.”

Arsenal can sign Eric Bailly from Manchester United only in one condition