Three Reasons Everton Should Sign Wayne Rooney

As part of our guest writers slot we are working with Craig Hoyland, who runs an Everton blog here: https://craighoyland1.wordpress.com/

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Three Reasons Everton Should Sign Wayne Rooney.

The Independent added more fuel to the Wayne Rooney debate last night by claiming he could be heading back to Goodison on a free transfer this summer.

It’s a debate that divides Everton fans, some claim he’s nothing more than a has been, a previously great footballer looking for a retirement package in the twilight of his career while others still believe he has what it takes to help drive a new Everton back to where Farhad Moshiri is determined to take us, the summit of world football.

There’s no denying the pedigree of Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s all time leading goal scorer has won everything at club level but at this stage of his career, what would he bring to Everton? Why should Ronald Koeman hand him the opportunity to be part of a project that has every Evertonian daring to dream again, a project designed to bring silverware back to Goodison Park?

Three obvious reasons are Niasse, Kone and Valencia. Can anybody tell me with a straight face that Rooney wouldn’t be a massive improvement on every one of these players? Would you start any of these ahead of Wayne Rooney? No, of course you wouldn’t. I don’t care how old he is, I don’t care what kind of salary he would demand, at the moment we have no viable attacking option to either replace Lukaku or play along side him, Wayne Rooney is that option. Yes there are better players out there but until Everton are playing Champions League football the better options are unrealistic targets and will not turn down the opportunity to play regular football in elite competitions to be part of a project.

Providing Ronald Koeman with another quality attacking option isn’t all Wayne Rooney would bring to the table. To transform any club into a global brand it helps to have internationally recognised players and the media coverage that comes with them. His experience can only help players like Lukaku, Barkley, Davies etc with their own development and the increased competition for places is exactly what Everton needs to help bring the best out of every player at the club. I’m not saying we shouldn’t also bring in another forward, a younger striker bursting with potential and let’s not forget Dominic Calvert Lewin who scored his first senior goal against Hull on Saturday but to have two attacking options like Rooney and Lukaku in the side, for me, is an absolute no brainer and I’m convinced it’s a selection headache Ronald Koeman would be happy to embrace.

I don’t honestly understand the shouts of has been, his legs have gone, Judas etc. Wayne Rooney left us to win trophies, it’s not a difficult concept to grasp and he’d be coming back to try and win more, he still has what it takes to play top level football, he still has goals in him and he’s still capable of helping Everton take their place amongst the Premier League elite and compete for the most prestigious trophies in Europe. I want to see Everton winning, I want to see Everton at the top of the Premier League, I want to be applauding Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku as they tear another back four apart instead of watching in disbelief as people applaud Steven Naismith for knocking us out of a cup competition at Goodison Park. It’s not about an emotional homecoming, or Rooney being a blue, none of those things are relevant. It’s about him being a quality attacking option and it’s about Everton winning.

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