Why Chelsea need Manchester United star Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney – Just the man, Chelsea need!

At least in the last decade, it has always been hit and miss when it comes to Chelsea strikers. There have been players like Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka (to some extent), who have been excellent signings for the club.

There have also been players like Andrei Shevchenko and Fernando Torres. They arrived for big money with a reputation of scoring lots of goals with their previous clubs. Yet, they have been a major disappointment for Chelsea. As Chelsea up their interest in Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, could the same fate befall the England star as well?

Apart from the failure to get the best out of Shevchenko, Mourinho does not seem to have had too much issue with strikers. In fact, he has transformed players with potential like Didier Drogba and Diego Milito into stars.

Courtesy Chelsea FC True Blue

People may be complaining that Rooney scored only 16 goals last season. It, however, is a great return for someone who made only 25 starts in all competitions. It should also not be forgotten that he scored 34 goals in the 2011-12 season. Let us also not forget that Rooney is close to scoring his 200th goal for United in just nine seasons.

Torres, meanwhile, was in sensational form for effectively two years at Liverpool.

Even though Rooney is capable of playing a number of positions like an attacking midfielder, winger, and striker, he believes that his best position is as a striker.

“In the years to come, that might be somewhere I could play, but, right now, I’m definitely a centre-forward. I’m after more goals.

“It’s a good role for me to play, and hopefully I can continue doing well there,” said Rooney to Sky Sports in June 2013.

One of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s failure to win the league last season was the lack of goals from the strikers. Yes, Torres scored 23 goals in all competitions, but he managed only eight in the league. Even Frank Lampard – a midfielder – used to score better than eight league goals in a season during his peak.

It is fair to assume that Mourinho does not trust Torres to deliver these goals, while Romelu Lukaku is also very raw and young to carry the burden for an entire season. Rooney would be perfect in this regard.

Goals from strikers are the need of the hour at Chelsea, and Rooney has provided exactly that in the past. He still has at least five years left at the top level and there is reason to believe that he will continue to do the same.