Alternatives to Wayne Rooney

GiveMeSport.com’s Jake Grice says the Rooney to Chelsea saga rolls on but not much has changed and gives some names that should be on Chelsea’s list should Rooney deal fail.

United are adamant the player is going nowhere and there are still no statements from Rooney’s camp about what he really wants; only media speculation claiming the want-away star is about to submit a transfer request. Of course the deal is still a strong possibility, Chelsea normally get their man and if the money keeps going up eventually an offer will be made that United can’t refuse.

If the deal falls through and Mourinho still thinks the club needs more firepower here are some alternative options.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swedish striker needs little introduction, he has been one of the best forwards in the world for many years now and has proven his talents in several of Europe’s top leagues.

At the ripe old age of 31 the player doesn’t offer much in the way of investment but what he lacks in retail value he more than makes up for on the pitch. Similarly to Drogba, Ibrahimovic seems to of peaked late and right now is probably in the best form of his career.
47 goals and 18 assists in 59 games is a pretty staggering tally and although the quality of the defences in the French league do have to be taken into account, his three goals and seven assists in nine Champions League matches goes along way to back up his stature is one of the world’s premier strikers.
With PSG’s purchase of Cavani, Ibra could be tempted with one final move. The chance to work with Mourinho again and test himself in the Premier League might be too good an opportunity to say no to and the thought of seeing his breathtaking goals every week should be enough to get any Chelsea fan salivating.

Didier Drogba
Since Drogba left Chelsea the club has been desperately searching for somebody to fill those very big boots of his, without much joy. Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have both proved inconsistent and despite impressing on loan last season, the step up to the Chelsea first-team is a big one and Lukaku still has quite a bit to prove before he can call the starting role his.
Because of this, bringing back Drogba makes a lot of sense. Lukaku idolises him, and so having the player he is trying to emulate at the club to offer guidance and tutorship can only be beneficial for the young Belgian.
Drogba would understand at 34 he isn’t going to be the main man, which would allow Lukaku all the game time he requires to fully master the starting role. This is not something you can say about Torres as the Spaniard is going to want to start most games due to the impending World Cup.
Drogba proved recently with a brace against Arsenal that he still has what it takes to score against the top teams in the division and despite the game supposedly being a friendly, the animosity between the Gunners and the former Chelsea hitman meant there wasn’t much of a friendly feel once he entered the game.
Drogba managed four goals in ten games for Gala last term so he obviously hasn’t lost his ability in front of goal and, teamed up with Mourinho, he could be the solution to the issues the club has up front.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

At 26 Huntelaar has a good few less miles on the clock than the other two and therefore less experience but he also has a massively underrated ability. With all the talk of Cavani, Falcao and Lewandowski it is at times easy to forget there are strikers just as good without the insane transfer fee.
The Dutch international’s goal record is very good and therefore it is quite surprising there isn’t much interest in him. Last season he notched up 20 goals and seven assists, which is pretty good. The season before that he fired 47 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. He is a similar player to Lewandowski, good in the air with the ability to finish with both feet and from some improbable angles and at around £20-30 million he could prove to be the final piece in the jigsaw.

I think ultimately Rooney will end up making the switch, especially if the rumours of him handing in a transfer request this week are true, but if not, it is nice to know there are other options out there, options that should seriously be considered.