Ronald Koeman has satisfied himself Wayne Rooney is fit to play on Saturday after the distractions of his drink-driving charge the previous week and, though “very disappointed” by the development, intends to use his striker against Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park.
“I like to have discipline in my team, on the pitch and off the pitch,” the Everton manager said. “I am very disappointed by this situation regarding Wayne. We spoke on Tuesday and the chairman, Bill Kenwright, has also spoken to Wayne about it. In line with any disciplinary matter this will be dealt with internally at an appropriate time and that is all I have to say about the case. He will play this Saturday. If I see that Wayne is not in a physical or mental condition to play, then he won’t play.”
Rooney is due to appear in court on 18 September, a day after he is expected to make his first return to Manchester United since rejoining Everton. Koeman must have been a busy man on Tuesday, because when normal training resumed after the international break he also had a meeting with Ross Barkley to find out why the forward’s proposed move to Chelsea fell through at the last minute.
“Ross also came to see me and he explained why he turned down the move,” Koeman said. “That was a private conversation and I am not the right man to reveal what was said. I don’t think that would be fair. There was an agreement between Chelsea and Everton for the player to move but the final decision was up to the player and it didn’t happen, so Ross remains an Everton player under contract until the end of the season.
“It was a strange last day of the transfer window but other clubs could say the same. Philippe Coutinho is still at Liverpool, Alexis Sánchez did not join Manchester City. These things can happen if deals are left until the last minute – it’s part of the business – but it did surprise me that all that stuff was left so late. Everyone knew he had not signed a new contract at Everton and in that situation, if you want the player, you have the whole summer.”
Koeman is happy with the business Everton conducted, bringing in Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford, Sandro Ramírez, Davy Klaassen and Nikola Vlasic as well as Rooney, though does not attempt to deny his disappointment at not bringing in a striker as a direct replacement for Romelu Lukaku. “That was our main priority,” he said. “In the end we could not get what we wanted. There were other options to consider but it can be a problem if you make a late switch to option three or four, because it might not make the team stronger.”
Instead of spending large sums to bring in fringe players from elsewhere Koeman has begun to look more carefully on some of his own, hence the restoration of Oumar Niasse to the first-team squad. This represents a considerable U-turn on Koeman’s behalf, for the Senegal striker did not even receive a shirt number last season and was told he had no future at the club. He spent some time on loan at Hull, where he managed four goals for a side in a relegation battle, and as recently as last week was lined up for a move to Crystal Palace, only for that to fall through on the last day of the window.
“He gives us another option for the striking position,” Koeman said. “He did not get games last season but his behaviour was perfect. He played games for the under-23s and I think now is the right time to bring him back to the first team. He needs to fight like every player for his opportunity.”
Koeman will also have the £8m capture Vlasic in the squad for the Tottenham game after being impressed with the 19-year-old since buying him from Hajduk Split. Everton’s only final-day signing could even make his debut ahead of Kevin Mirallas, who is likely to slip down the pecking order after going public with his disappointment at not getting an move or a loan deal in summer.
“Kevin was looking for something else but no one came in so he stays and must work hard,” Koeman said. “In my opinion Vlasic is one of the biggest young talents in Europe, and that opinion was not changed by the two games he played against us recently. He’s another young player we have brought in so the future is bright.”
Koeman has consistently argued in favour of transfer business being concluded before the start of the season, so is pleased at the Premier League decision to close the window earlier next season. “The situation we have just seen was ridiculous,” he said. “It was unbelievable that [Spurs striker] Vincent Janssen had to play for Holland against France when his club future might have been decided on the same day. It is a great relief for everyone to have the window closed and be able to concentrate on the football. For me it feels like this is the real start of the season and not the one we had four weeks ago.”