Everton have confirmed the signing of England international Theo Walcott for an initial fee of £20m. Walcott will reportedly earn £110,000 a week before bonuses.
Walcott, who scored more than 100 goals for Arsenal in his time in North London, stated, “I do really believe I’m going to give it my all, which is what I always have done, and this place is going to get even more out of me. There’s something about this move which I’ve just felt good about. It felt like it was time for me to move on. It was sad but it’s exciting at the same time and I want to reignite my career and push Everton to win things as they have done before.”
The agile winger started his career at Southampton before moving to Arsenal after just one year of senior football with the Saints. In four of his 13 seasons at Arsenal, Walcott has 10+ goals and in total, netted 108 times in 395 appearances for the Gunners. In 47 caps for England, he has eight goals. Overall, the forward has all the experience in the world and is still just 28.
What he’ll offer to the club
Walcott simply adds zip and pace to any side. He is a fine ball carrier and can offer width, owing to his pace and one-vs-one ability while taking on defenders. Along with his technique, which has never been a doubt to anybody, the 28-year-old has fine balance and awareness. What’s more is Walcott played in a forward role for Arsenal a few times and impressed, so Sam Allardyce has signed a player whose versatility could come in handy.
Is he worth the buy?
Not really. Walcott has barely played any football for the past 7-8 months and one simply cannot trust what he will bring or how well he will fit into the Toffees line up. The Englishman hasn’t been anywhere close to effective in his few games for Arsenal this season either, clearly showing how low on confidence he is.
They don’t always prefer to play a three-man front line behind the striker, which implies the formation may not suit Walcott’s style of play. Big Sam’s sides are forced to defend and begin their attack from deep, something that might not suit Walcott who wasn’t used to playing reactive football at Arsenal.
Also to add, they already have Nikola Vlasic and Aaron Lennon, who are in pretty decent form at the moment. Yannick Bolasie is close to his 100% and when he is firing, it’s hard to see Walcott playing over him. There were other areas Everton could have invested in.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
