The rumors just won’t go away. Wayne Rooney would apparently like to return to Everton after 13 years away from Goodison Park, and the club are making very strong noises about accepting him back into the fold as well as the odds from most of the sport betting sites like Betting Top 10. So would we want him back, or should we pass on this ‘opportunity’?
The Case for the Return
The first thing to consider is the fact that this is England’s all-time record goal scorer. You don’t get that status, plus that of Man United’s top scorer, without having a huge amount of quality. The promise that he showed when he broke through in the Everton first team might not quite be there, but he is desperate to play for his old club. You could see that when he pulled on the shirt for the testimonial how much the club means to him. Why not give him the opportunity?
He hasn’t played much for United this season, but that is mainly down to Mourinho not knowing his best formation and needing a fall guy.
The influence that he could have over the younger players could be invaluable. The success that Rooney has had with United could inspire the players in the same way that Duncan Ferguson has. Even his presence in the dressing room could lift the players into having a winning mentality. And believe me, Everton need leaders possibly more than anything else.
The only problem? He could be an expensive cheerleader! Although saying that, we’re minted now, so what does that matter? The promotional/advertising money could flood in simply because he’s at the club, and maybe that’s at the forefront of Moshiri’s mind. Maybe play him against those teams that will just come to defend as someone who could open up those teams if he can’t sprint around like a madman.
The Case for Avoidance
The first thing to be considered is Wayne Rooney’s form for what used to be the biggest club in Europe. This is a team going through what is, for them, a turbulent few years. They’ve won a couple of cups in the last couple of years but it’s all about the title for them, and they’ve been nowhere near it. Statistically, based on points per game, they are further away than ever.
So what have they done to turn this form around? Certainly not used their greatest ever goal scorer, that’s for sure. Scoring just 43 goals in 29 games, they have decided to firstly push him back into a midfield role and then drop him to the bench. And recently he’s not even been in the squad. Is it reasonable for the team in 7th who have designs on reaching the top 4 to have a need for a player that can’t get into the 6th-placed team?
Also consider the fact that he’s been dropped due to the fact that he slows play down and isn’t fit very often. We had Darron Gibson for that, and sold him to David Moyes. The Koeman way seems to be to win the ball, release a number 10 and then feed a striker. We need both a number 9 and 10, but Rooney seems unable to fit into both camps for club or country in the last few years.
Bringing in someone on over £100k a week (at least) that doesn’t fit into a fast-paced young side could stall the club at the very moment that it could kick on. And how will the other players feel about someone coming in on such big wages in comparison to them? He would certainly be our biggest salaried player.
The ambition that Everton have is huge. Just looking at the plans for the stadium and the money that could be spent on players makes us all believe that we could be on the verge of great things. So why would we not think bigger in terms of getting a young, dynamic striker in as opposed to a slower one?
In conclusion – to my mind, he’s had his chance and it’s too late for the romantic return. A player that is still performing well and coming to the end of his contract is one thing; a player wanting a nostalgic return just because it suits him right now? No thanks.
This is Everton’s time to kick on and make history, not look back at it at every single opportunity.