Numerous outlets are reporting that Wayne Rooney’s camp and Manchester United have all but agreed to terms on a contract extension that would tie him to Old Trafford through 2019. An announcement is expected later this week, and though the numbers thrown around vary somewhat, most suggest it’s a deal worth around $21.5 million a season with bonuses that could take it as high as $26 million. There is a sense of inevitability about this. Despite the stories peddled by Rooney’s people about a possible Old Trafford exit, there was no massive queue of clubs lining up to sign him, certainly not at the numbers United were expecting. And ultimately, there was no great will on Rooney’s part to force an exit on his terms, something he could have done given that he was in the final 18 months of his contract. As for United, it’s partly a case of better the devil you know. Parting with Rooney would have created headaches. Not so much in terms of the starting XI -- they could play Juan Mata behind Robin van Persie and it would, if anything, make things more rational -- but because Rooney was also Van Persie’s understudy. With the Dutchman on the wrong side of 30, United need a credible stand-in at center forward, something that neither Javier Hernandez nor Danny Welbeck represent. Losing Rooney would mean adding “legitimate striker who won’t mind deferring to Robin” to David Moyes’ summer shopping list, which is long enough already. There’s another aspect to Rooney. Much as folks love to crucify him for every mistake and underachievement, the fact is that he has been one of the most productive strikers in United history. He needs 42 goals to pass Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in all competitions. (At his current pace, he’ll do so around the time he turns 30.) With another 25 goals, he’ll move into second place on the Premier League’s all-time charts, behind Alan Shearer. For a guy who is not a genuine center forward and, over the years, has deferred to some pretty prolific teammates (Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, van Persie), it’s quite an achievement. Plus, if he stays reasonably healthy and sees out his contract, he’ll probably make enough appearances to retire in United’s all-time top five in that category. The point is that Rooney has value as a United brand and icon who is drenched in the club’s history. There is a generational shift going on at the club. Once Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand hang up their boots, he’ll be the most viable bridge to the past. Is all this worth the kind of money they’re throwing at him? For a start, it’s obviously a lot, but nowhere near the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sphere. The Real Madrid striker, who signed a new deal in September, earns nearly twice that in basic wages (remember that, in Spain and Italy, totals cited are net salary and not gross, as they are in England). More importantly, it’s a contract the club can afford, particularly with the television deal that kicked in this year. That’s the thing to remember. In this sport, bigger, richer clubs need to pay their players more. You can do all the wage/statistical analysis you like, but odds are that a striker as productive as Rooney would command a Rooney-like salary at Old Trafford, maybe not right away, but after his first successful season. Plus, you would need to pay a transfer fee on top of that. Throw in the fact that, given the activity so far, letting Moyes and Ed Woodward loose with a chequebook and telling them to bring back a top striker doesn’t seem to be a great idea and you can see why this outcome, ultimately, suits all concerned
Posted on: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:43:34 +0000
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