Ex-Everton midfielder would ‘love’ former club to sign 13-goal relegated star

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has claimed he would ‘love’ to see his old club go after Leeds forward Rodrigo.

The Yorkshire side fell to a heavy defeat on the final day against Tottenham which confirmed their relegation to the Championship, as Everton experienced contrasting fortunes by beating Bournemouth to remain in the top-flight. Goals have been at a real premium for the Toffee this season due to a number of factors, but the simple fact remains that they ended the season as the league’s lowest scorers with 34 goals - Erling Haaland outscored the whole squad with 36.

However, the summer brings new opportunities to rectify those shortcomings by bringing in the firepower up front that they couldn’t do during the January window, and Osman believes that player could come in the form of the Leeds forward.

“He is a player a lot of teams will look at. As an Everton fan, I would love to have him. He was injured for a large part of the season. Leeds definitely missed him. If they had him for a lot longer maybe they would have done more.” Osman admitted to Premier League productions.

Rodrigo had strong pedigree from being a mainstay in a Valencia side that competed in the Champions League before Leeds, somewhat surprisingly, managed to secure him in a club-record deal worth up to £26m. At first he struggled to displace Patrick Bamford, but the striker’s constant injury setbacks allowed the Spaniard to take over as the main attacking option. Whilst Leeds struggled overall, he scored 13 in the league and twice in the FA Cup - no one else got more than five.

His deal expires next summer and with the forward now 32, it’s unlikely he will want to waste a precious season at this stage of his career in the second-tier of English football - especially when there’s plenty of viable options in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Rodrigo has worked well as a second striker and could work in conjunction with another forward, but Everton may need to recruit even further as Calvert-Lewin’s injury concerns and Ellis Simms’ lack of experience are a clear squad issue.