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Everton: At what point is re-signing Wayne Rooney bad business?

By Paul Taylor

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Wayne Rooney of Everton and Manchester United walks off the pitch after the warm up prior to the Duncan Ferguson Testimonial match between Everton and Villarreal at Goodison Park on August 2, 2015 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Wayne Rooney of Everton and Manchester United walks off the pitch after the warm up prior to the Duncan Ferguson Testimonial match between Everton and Villarreal at Goodison Park on August 2, 2015 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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While bringing Wayne Rooney back would be a big boost to Everton, his wage demands could prove to be a real sticking point.

Earlier this week, we discussed Everton‘s interest in re-signing Wayne Rooney. In particular, we asked if potentially bringing him back to Goodison Park was just based on sentiment, or could it actually help the club?

In short, we determined it was actually a case of both and that renewing acquaintances with Rooney was a good move. However, in light of the most recent developments, we now concede this conclusion should have come with a caveat.

As per a report from Mike Whalley of the Express, the 31-year old’s move back to Everton has hit a snag. More specifically, his wage demands.

Rooney is currently on £250,000-per-week with Manchester United and would prefer to remain on somewhere close to this figures. However, as Whalley writes, Everton are only willing to offer a weekly salary of around £150,000.

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Obviously, this is all about perspective, with it being understandable why the Croxteth-born star wouldn’t want to accept a drop of close to £100,000. On the flip side, the £150,000 on the table is the biggest offer Everton have ever made, by quite some margin.

Regardless, with such a gap between the two sides, at some point the Toffees have to be smart enough to walk away. Otherwise it just becomes bad business, even though they haven’t exactly been shy about flashing the cash so far this Summer.

As for Rooney, he has to ask himself what is most important to him? If it’s money, he can stay at Manchester United, or accept a lucrative offer from abroad, with the Chinese Super League particularly showing interest.

However, if England’s all-time leading goalscorer genuinely wants a reunion with his first footballing love, he needs to lower his demands. He knows himself that Everton do not have the same level of funds compared to the Red Devils.

Whalley does provide one possible solution, which involves United attempting to get Rooney to accept a reduction in his pay-off. In return, they could allow him to leave on a free transfer, if the Blues offer a significant signing-on fee.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, with us getting a better indication of where things are headed in the next couple of days. Rooney is set to report for pre-season training with United on Saturday, one day before the team flies out to the United States to begin a tour.

If the 2009–10 PFA Player of the Year is on the plane, it will diminish the chances of a dream reunion with Everton. And if this is the case — fairly or not — it will allude to money being more important to him than regular first team football.

Next: Kevin Sheedy calls time at Everton

What’s your position on Rooney’s apparent wage demands? Should Everton pay whatever he wants, or are they right to put a limit of how much they will offer? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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