The Story-
Theo Walcott has not always been part of Arsene Wenger’s plans, as the French manager has chosen his other stars over the England international, who has suffered from poor form and injuries, over the past decade with the Gunners. He has never really been the first choice striker for so long and had eventually lost his touch, though he did revive himself to an extent, the last term.
With so much confusion about which players will be joining the North London outfit this summer, a lot of big names have been linked with a move to the Emirates.
This has put the attacker’s future in further doubt and it seems now that the club’s domestic rivals West Ham United are now looking to sign him for a fee of £25m.
The call will be Wenger’s to make, on whether to retain the former Southampton man or not and it will also depend on the kind of players that he is able to add to his current side.
Player Insight-
Ten years with Arsenal, Walcott is one of those loyal players who have been with the club, through thick and thin and his loyalty will never be questioned. Last season he scored 19 goals for Wenger’s side, in all competitions, which helped them win the FA Cup once again. His has been played as a striker, a winger and runs around the pitch a lot, which is something really worth appreciating and makes him an asset to the manager.
However, he is still quite poor when it comes to trailing back from offside positions or making any sort of defensive contribution, which would still be a major weakness for him. Goals are one thing, yet, when a player is stationary and does not do much in helping his side at the back, he sometimes becomes a liability.
What will he bring to the club-
If the Hammers do sign him, he will add a quality finisher to the side, who has really good pace. Also, he can make those diagonal runs into the box and a good quality midfielder can also spot him and create goal-scoring opportunities for the team.
Deal or no deal-
Well, from a West Ham fan’s point of view, surely, they will want to get the deal. Walcott will be good value for money and he still has a lot of years ahead of him, as he is just 28.
Despite that, the Arsenal fans will surely want to retain him, as he has been a loyal servant of the club for a long time. The only situation in which he might be sold is if they manage to sign a few more options up front and can’t afford the Englishman’s wages then.
