Arriving at the back post

James Rodriguez once again finds himself secluded from the footballing world and searching for a new opportunity after Rayo Vallecano called an end to his five-month spell in the Spanish capital, which in total culminated 136 minutes. This feeling has been a far too regular occurrence in the past five years for one of the current game’s purest and underappreciated entertainers. After falling out with Zinedine Zidane, the Colombian seemed to embark on a pitstop tour, and on many occasions, it was as quick as an F1 tyre change. Directly after being cast away by Real Madrid due to Zinedine Zidane’s hard shoulder, he reunited with Carlo Ancelotti and Everton, which at the time seemed like the wildest of fever dreams. And for some Toffee fans, it must have seemed like a fantasy the way he started in Merseyside, but James’ hopefully start dwindled and his appearances on the pitch were sparse, as Ancelotti went back to Madrid and Rafa Benitez came in. Qatar was next and less than a year later...

From the English fourth division to the Belgian top flight, Max Dean is unfazed by most challenges thrown at him. Max Dean has a bravery and confidence that is often rare in youngsters, in any walk of life. Especially those who have been on a journey similar to Dean’s. He was raised in Ormskirk, a quiet market town 10 miles north of Liverpool and only a 30-minute drive to Everton’s Goodison Park, the team Dean supported and played for 11 years when growing up. His journey as a player for the Toffees ended abruptly at the age of 16 when he was let go, although his love for the club remained strong, with the striker in the crowd for the 2023-24 Merseyside Derby win at Goodison Park. At Everton he was competing with the likes of Lewis Dobbin and others from the year above but when he wasn’t deterred by an emotional rejection. Leeds United were interested in the Englishman and despite missing two first-half penalties in his trial against Sheffield United, the two goals he scored after the ...