Back page Everton have enjoyed a fine start to this transfer window after sealing five high-profile deals in less than a month.
Ronald Koeman is settling well into his role after a good first season, and he looks forward to making Everton a force to be reckoned with on the domestic and continental fronts this season.
He has already forked out over £90 million this season on the likes of Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Davy Klaasen, Sandro Ramirez and Henry Onyekuru, with four of them certainly being an improvement on what they have, while the latter has been sent back out on loan to Anderlecht.
The summer spending spree is not set to stop there as more names have been linked to join the Toffees.
Olivier Giroud is one of them as Everton see him as a relatively cheap and short-term replacement for Romelu Lukaku should he leave the club, while Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurðsson has been talked up as a replacement for Ross Barkley if his move to Tottenham comes to fruition.
However the deal most expected, as reports earlier in the week have suggested, is the return of Wayne Rooney as reports earlier in the week suggested.
Wayne Rooney reportedly pulled out from Manchester United’s travelling squad to the United States for pre-season in order to accelerate proceedings in order to return to his boyhood club.
It further goes on to suggest that he will meet Ronald Koeman to discuss his plans at the club in the near future, and the deal most being reported is that it will be a season-long loan, with Manchester United partially covering his wages for the season.
However, while Rooney does bring more credibility to Everton’s off-pitch antics, he really doesn’t provide much on the pitch and wouldn’t be the greatest addition to Everton’s quickly-improving side.
The main benefit Everton get out of this deal is the added revenue from marketing ventures.
As one of the most popular footballers in the world and a former Everton man himself, the club are sure to see an increase in shirt sales with his name on the back and not only around Merseyside, but around the world.
But on the pitch, he is unlike any of Koeman’s other signings he has made since he took over.
All their entries this season have been 24 or under, while their oldest signing last summer was Ashley Williams, who at 32, was still able to do a good job in his given position.
Everton’s football over the last 12 months has also been more pleasing to the eye, with fluidity and speed being a key aspect.
Wayne Rooney’s arrival could ruin that fluency and disrupt their first team plans.
He hasn’t provided much in United red as the lone forward with his goal record continuously diminishing per season, while as a number ten he has lost the control he once possessed, often giving away the ball cheaply and unsettling the flow of the attack.
It’s something Everton and Ronald Koeman certainly don’t need if they want to progress to the next level.
His arrival would also hinder the progress of some of the other younger, more acclimatised players at the club.
Having him amongst the ranks would definitely put Koeman under pressure to play him more often than not and if he isn’t able to improve to the level required of him, he would prove to be an obstacle for some of the other players at the club – for a season at least.
Tom Davies had a breakthrough campaign last year and he is one touted for big things in the future while Everton also had five players in England’s U20 World Cup winning squad, two of whom play in the same areas of the pitch as Rooney – Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman – the last thing they need is a season on the fringes.
And while the topic of holding players back is concerned, it creates a problem for some of Koeman’s signings over the last year. He has deployed a 4-3-3 on most occasions this season with Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin and Tom Davies occupying the midfield.
Davy Klaasen’s arrival is sure to get him a spot in there, but Rooney’s impending deal could create a whole new problem. Sure, it adds depth, but it troubles the consistency of the first team which wouldn’t be a welcome problem.
Signing him is sure to be a huge ploy for the club financially, despite breaking their wage structure. He is one to get eyes on TV screens, despite his deteriorating form and from Rooney’s point of view it’s much better than his options in China or the USA.
For a season at least, Everton would be getting a historic player – England and Manchester United captain as well as their record goal scorers, but that history could come at a very big price, not just in terms of wages, but also in their future.
