It has been an exciting couple of days of transfer news with a number of Premier League clubs being very active in trying to improve their squads ahead of next season with Manchester United and Everton being some of the big names on that front.
The biggest news has been Romelu Lukaku agreeing on a move to Old Traff for a fee of around £75 million plus add-ons.
However, despite the fact that Everton supporters may be disappointed about Lukaku’s departure, it has paved the way for Manchester United legend, Wayne Rooney to return to his boyhood club. He broke onto the scene when he was just 16-years-old and now returns to Goodison Park after 13 years away from the club.
He may now be 31-years-old, but Rooney can still add significant quality to Everton’s squad ahead of next season. Blues boss Ronald Koeman would not have made this signing based purely on sentimental values. He will have made this signing with the belief that Rooney can improve his squad.
Koeman told Everton’s official site that Rooney’s versatility in the forward positions was a key factor in deciding to bring him back to the club. He said: “His main quality is his quality on the ball, his experience and what I describe as his winning mentality. Everybody knows he can play out of different positions up front. He’s a smart player. He’s an experienced football player, and that helps everybody.”
The arrival of Rooney has put Ross Barkley’s future at the club in doubt. There has been speculation that Koeman might offload Barkley during this transfer window as he looks to build his side around Rooney next season. Both players flourish in a similar role and Koeman may have finally lost patience with Barkley’s inconsistent performances on the pitch.
Many feel that Rooney has been unfairly treated at Old Trafford, especially in the last two years. He has remained professional at the club despite limited chances and unfair criticism in recent times.
Now that he has taken the decision to move on from Manchester United, he may be able to flourish once again due to the fact he is bound to get more game time at Everton under Koeman.
Rooney’s record for Manchester United was superb as he played 559 times and scored 253 goals in the process. He has won everything there is to win at club level, and he can now pass on his experience to Everton’s next line of youngsters. He will now be relishing the opportunity of more first team football back at the team where his career began.
It could be argued that Everton have a stronger squad going into next season, even with the sale of Lukaku taken into account. Rooney joins the likes of Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Sandro Ramirez, Henry Onyekuru and Michael Keane who have already arrived at Everton this summer. Due to the quality of these signings and the size of Everton as a club, they should really be knocking on the door of the top four next season.
No matter what anyone says about this transfer, nobody can argue with the fact that when Rooney walks out of the tunnel at Goodison Park against Stoke City on the first day of the Premier League season this August, the atmosphere is going to be something to behold.
