It has been reported by Sky Sports News HQ today that West Ham are interested in bringing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney to London Stadium this summer.
Here are five reasons why it would be a fantastic move for both West Ham and Rooney…
West Ham need a striker
Rooney is a record breaker when it comes to scoring goals at both international and club level.
Although his form has dropped in the past couple of seasons due to playing a deeper role, Rooney can still find the goal with devastating effect. He would play alongside Andy Carroll up top in a front two and would be playing in his natural position.
Rooney has scored over 250 goals at all levels and his goals to games ratio is 0.43 per game, which is better that what West Ham have had over the past 15 seasons – even at his current age!
On pitch professional
His ability isn’t debatable; he is a proven talent and has been in the Premier League for almost 13 seasons now. Rooney’s development at Manchester United under one of the best managers the world in Sir Alex Ferguson, has made him the man he is today.
His mistakes off the pitch have been down to a young player having massive wages and mistakes were inevitable as a result. On the pitch, though, he drives the team forward and has been the fall guy if a team underperforms – he is has a pure passion for the game and will fight for his teammates.
For England, the striker has been a mainstay and been able to become the Three Lions’ record breaking goal scorer with a good few years left in him to add to his tally.
Regular Football
At West Ham he would be guaranteed games due to our lack of competition up top. At Man United, he has seen more time on the bench due to Jose Mourinho’s style of play and an in-form Zlatan Ibrahimović taking centre stage.
The lack of football he is getting is hampering his England chances and affecting his match fitness. There is a chance that Rooney could go back to his boyhood club Everton but he would only be getting game time if Romelu Lukaku leaves, and Ronald Koeman likes to have a bigger and more physical player upfront.
At the Hammers, Rooney will start and will get fitter every week, which will only benefit his development, even at the age of 31 (32 next season). There is another milestone Wayne would like to achieve and that is to reach the 500 Premier League appearances mark.
A few seasons at West Ham could see him break that tally, so more games the better for the club.
Marketing Genius
Brand Rooney is known worldwide.
America, Asia, Africa, you name it, he is known everywhere. Signing Rooney would cost the club a lot of money in wages and fees, but we could recoup a major windfall in shirt sales with his name on the back.
To sign for West Ham and play in the biggest domestic football stadium in London is a huge draw for fans far and wide, particularly if the club manages to get an English record breaker in the famous claret and blue.
The image rights would also be astronomical. With the latest Premier League TV deal worth £128m-per-season, this is a deal that even the Premier League brand would support as it would draw more viewers globally.
Transfer pull
The deal to bring Rooney to the club would draw in future transfers of a higher quality.
Wayne Rooney is a player who has been on top of the world and every player would love to play alongside him. He has a large contact list and the marketing prowess to draw in the players West Ham need to push on for success.
On his ex-teammates from the international stage alone, he could attract a very good team to play with him week, in week out. He could even suggest bringing in players who have moved abroad.
Cristiano Ronaldo still rates Rooney as one of the best he’s ever worked with and even influenced his son to be a fan. Who knows, maybe Wayne could get Ronaldo over too for a reunion!?
