Wayne Rooney wants to leave United but where will he go?
The big news coming out of Old Trafford is that Wayne Rooney supposedly wants to follow Sir Alex Ferguson out of the door, to avoid a reunion with David Moyes, most of Europe’s big clubs are being bandied about as possible destinations but are any of them realistic. In a Transfer Gossip Analysis special, I will break down the possibilities of him signing for each of these clubs. Here’s a team by team analysis on where he is apparently heading:
The Favourites
Bayern Munich
What’s the story? Bayern are supposedly the team that Rooney wants to join. The German behemoth have reached three Champions League finals in four seasons and with the arrival of Pep Guardiola, Mario Gotze and possibly Robert Lewandowski in the summer look ready for a dynastical domination of Europe. All very attractive for Rooney as he looks for a pay rise ‘new challenge’.
Does it make sense? No. Not even slightly. Not even microscopically. For a start, an already incredibly strong Bayern Munich attack has been bolstered by Mario Gotze who looks likely to be joined by Borussia Dortmund club mate Robert Lewandowski. One of the reasons that Rooney is unhappy is apparently that he wants to play as the central striker again. At Bayern he would be behind Lewandowski for certain. Then there’s also Mandzukic and Gomez who have 36 goals between them for the club this season and cost over £40m. On top of this, there is a lot of chatter about Guardiola wanting Luis Suarez too.
Ok, so maybe he plays behind the striker? Guardiola plays a 4-3-3, rather than the current Bayern 4-2-3-1, ensuring that he lands up in midfield. But we don’t want that, right Wayne? And if Guardiola played a 4-2-3-1 at Bayern, Rooney would be eyeing up the role behind the striker. Only, they’ve just spend £32m on Mario Gotze to play there, and they have Thomas Muller as well as Toni Kroos. How will all of them get game time?
The final nail in this coffin is that Rooney’s playing style doesn’t suit Guardiola in any way. He doesn’t have the speed to play around the box as an attacker, which would mean that if he somehow displaced Lewandowski/Suarez he’d be reduced to box dweller. A job he wouldn’t be as suited to as Mario Gomez. Maybe he could play the way Iniesta functions at Barcelona, but surely the red hot form of Ribery and Robben should keep them in consideration for that role?
Is the price right? It seems that he would be worth £30m. Now, Bayern have a lot of money to spend but do they want to spend this much to sign Rooney and then play him out of position?
Will it happen? 4/10 – He really doesn’t suit Bayern’s style and doesn’t fill a need either. However, if they can’t get Lewandowski or Suarez then he could rise to the top of their list. Dortmund and Liverpool are making the right noises about not selling but the Lewandowski’s move seems almost inevitable.
Paris St. Germain
What’s the story? PSG can certainly afford to pay challenge Rooney as he wants. They have a huge budget and are intent on muscling their way to a Champions League trophy. Winning it there, possibly with David Beckham, who Rooney never played with at United, is an interesting proposition. The catch is whether he will consider them to be a big enough club for him.
Does it make sense? Possibly. The only way this makes sense though is if Zlatan Ibrahimovc forces his way back to Italy. He apparently wants to right his wrongs at Juventus. Whether or not, the Old Lady can afford him is quite another matter. If he did go, PSG would have a gap in the lead striker spot. One that they would want a proven talent and big name to fill. Step forward Wayne Rooney. Supported by the pace and creativity of Pastore, Lavezzi and Lucas Moura, he would have manna from heaven in terms of supply. Something, Ibrahimovc has exploited this season. The other advantage for PSG is that Rooney is a winner and works hard on the pitch, an example that he could set for the rest of the forwards, when pitted against Ibrahimovic’s somewhat laconic style. If the big Swede stays, there could still be room for Rooney, perhaps in front of Lavezzi.
Is the price right? PSG have shown over the last few years that spending big money doesn’t phase them and the kudos they’d get from signing Rooney from Manchester United might be hard to resist even with the Financial Fair Play issues it would cause.
Will it happen? 6/10 – It’s a good spot in terms of his fit and PSG can pay him and United but would he view it as the step down that it is?
Real Madrid
What’s the story? 2nd place in the La Liga and a Champions League semi-final for Real but the departure of Jose Mourinho could see wholesale change. Real love nothing more than a big name signing and are presumably the club that Rooney is eyeing up as worthy of his talents.
Does it make sense? There’s an interesting caveat to this: if Manchester United are interested in getting Cristiano Ronaldo back. If Ronaldo goes there will be a huge whole which Rooney would go some way towards filling. If they don’t sell Ronaldo there is still possibly a spot for him. Real don’t tend to sign players they need but players they want. Rooney would offer something different to what they have. Higuain and Benzema are completely different types offering finishing and pace. They are reliant on the supply of Ronaldo and Di Maria. Rooney could actually supply Ronaldo as he did at United, which could, if you can imagine such a thing, make Ronaldo even more dangerous. Rooney would be able to play as a false 9 or an orthodox 9 depending on the new manager’s tactical preferences. He could also be able to compliment Neymar, if Real win the race to sign the young Brazilian.
Is the price right? Since when do Real duck out of paying £30m for a player they covet?
Will it happen? 8/10 – To me, Real are the best footballing fit. The challenge for United would be justifying selling a second star to Real in a matter of years. Are they willing to lose face in such a way? If they sell Rooney to PSG, they can say it’s for the money. If he’s sold to Real the prestige theoretically it would be said that he went to an even more prestigious club which would put them in a difficult position.
The Outsiders
Barcelona - Barcelona are an interesting option, but with Messi holding court as the false 9 and the likes of Iniesta, Pedro, Alexis and David Villa in the forward positions, there would be plenty of competition. It’s hard to see how Rooney’s style would fit in without compromising the freedom of Lionel Messi, which just can’t happen. They could afford him but they must surely be looking to upgrade the defence which caused their annihilation at the hands of Bayern Munich. Also, they seem to have their eye on Neymar instead.
Man City/Chelsea - There’s zero chance of United selling Rooney in England. Not only would it create a storm of controversy that would overwhelm the new manager, but selling a star man domestically says a lot about your standing in the pecking order. See Arsenal for details.
Anzhi - They certainly have the money to ‘challenge’ Rooney. In fact, they could challenge him beyond the dreams of Avarice. Does he really want to go to Russia though? Even for all of that challenge? He could run wild in Russia, alongside King Samuel Eto’o and would give the club genuine legitimacy in the same manner that Ibrahimovic gave to PSG last summer.
Juventus - Juventus could emerge as a surprise candidate. They’ve dominated Serie A for two years but got outclassed in Europe as they were unable to pose a big enough attacking threat to Bayern. Rooney would address this and he has the tactical flexibility to play in Italy. The question would be whether Juventus could afford the fee and wages, considering they have Fernando Llorente arriving but having settled in to their club owned Stadium and with a Champions League under their belt they might feel like doing something. A real dark horse to watch out for.
Borussia Dortmund - Now this would be a stunner as they’re going to need to replace Lewandowski and Gotze and Rooney could do either. If he really does want a challenge, then being part of th e exciting Dortmund project would offer that. If he wants to be challenged in terms of how he spends his wages, then this isn’t for him. He’d be the main man though and could take Marco Reus to new heights as he did with Ronaldo at United. He works hard and fits the team ethic.