5 new signings likely to flop in the 2017/18 Premier League season

#2 Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney's return to Everton may go painfully wrong yet

Wayne Rooney might not have cost Everton a penny in terms of a transfer fee, but given the huge wages he’s reported to be earning – 150k pounds a week or thereabouts – he could still turn out to be a huge waste of money for the club he initially broke through at. Question marks surround the move, from the position Rooney will end up playing, to how much exactly he has left in the tank anyway, and it seems the likelihood of the move paying off seems low for all parties.

To put it simply, Rooney’s ability to influence games has been on the wane for a long time now, arguably since around 2013. He was one of the better players at Man United under Louis Van Gaal, but 2016/17 was undoubtedly the nadir of his career, as despite Jose Mourinho showing some loyalty by leaving him as club captain, he only made 25 appearances in the league, scored just 5 goals, and lost his place in the England squad in the process.

Can he really be expected to rebuild his career at Everton? It’s doubtful; the explosive pace he once had as a younger player seems to be gone for good now as his lifestyle choices throughout his career have been somewhat questionable, his first touch seems to look worse every time he plays, and there’s also the confusion over his best position – is he still a striker, or would he be better off in the deep-lying midfield role that Roy Hodgson preferred him in during Euro 2016?

Add in the question over who exactly he’s going to be replacing – Ross Barkley maybe? Or the 20-goal a season Romelu Lukaku? – and I think there’s a recipe for disaster for the legendary player.