Rodriguez reunited with his former manager at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Carlo Ancelotti, by joining Everton last summer. Initially the financial details of the transfer were undisclosed, with some reports suggesting Everton had forked out €22m for the Colombian.
But in a general meeting of Everton’s shareholders on Thursday, Brands announced that the Toffees paid no fee for the two-time Champions League winner.
“It was one of the most difficult and weirdest transfer windows ever," Brands said. "The pandemic was clearly involved in this transfer window.
“We finished the window with a squad of 27 players - a little bit more than originally planned.
“We signed six new players. Three on a permanent transfer; Allan, Doucoure and Ben Godfrey. One on a free – James Rodriguez. One with training compensation - Niels Nkounkou - and one loan without a loan fee, Robin Olsen.”
Rodriguez made a bright start to his Everton career but has been hampered by injuries in recent weeks.
The former FC Porto and AS Monaco man has scored three goals in 14 appearances for Everton, who occupy fifth spot on the Premier League table.
