Carlo Ancelotti responds to Isco speculation: He is a fantastic player

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 17 May 2021 22:39 BST
• 2 min read

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has responded to speculation regarding a possible transfer for Real Madrid playmaker Isco.

The Italian, who managed the Spain international when he was in charge at Santiago Bernabeu, has been heavily linked with a January bid.

Zinedine Zidane has given Isco starts this season in the home matches against Valladolid and Cadiz, but was hooked early in both matches and the Frenchman doesn’t rely on his and his No. 10.

With Martin Odegaard also receiving minutes, plus Zidane’s propensity to switch to a 4-3-3 with no playmaker, Isco’s options are likely to be limited for the remainder of the season.

And when asked by journalists following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle, Ancelotti stated that he loved Isco as a player but at the moment didn’t want to comment on whether a transfer could happen.

He said: “Isco is a fantastic player and [I have] a fantastic memory of him but now I am not, honestly, focused there.

“I am focused on an important week we are going to have to recover players and to be well prepared for the game against [Manchester] United.”

Ancelotti signed Isco from Malaga in 2013 and has won two La Ligas and four Champions Leagues during his time in Madrid. The player is concerned that being frozen out by Zidane could hamper his chances of featuring for Spain in the Euros next summer and is keen to move to secure first-team football.

Isco is contracted at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2022 and any transfer would likely be on loan until the end of the 2020/21 season with an obligation to buy in the region of £20m.