Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted contract talks were slow with forward Theo Walcott, suggesting that the England international was playing hard ball with the club over committing his future. The long-serving French coach hinted that Walcott adopted similar tactics back in 2013 when his contract was close to expiration, but do Arsenal even need the 25-year-old anymore?
“We have started very early with him. He is very quick on the pitch, but off the pitch not always. Walcott was difficult to convince (in 2013) and that is why it took us much time. I always wanted to keep him and I still want to keep him now. I want him to stay and be a regular player and fight for his place, but no matter where you go if it is a big club you have to compete for your place,” he said.
Theo Walcott was brought off in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against West Ham, with the England forward having spurned a number of opportunities before his withdrawal. He’s played so few games for the Gunners this season, it begs the question how valuable he actually is to the side now. Arsenal have much better options in their attack, with Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla able to play in Walcott’s position on the right flank.
How the Arsenal man can hold the club to ransom over a new deal is bemusing considering there isn’t a better side that would want to sign him. Walcott is only just getting his form back after having suffered months of injury problems. He’s playing for a club in the last-16 of the Champions League, who are also chasing a top-three spot in the Premier League. Are better sides likely to come in for him?
Walcott’s best season came during the 2012/13 campaign when he netted 14 goals and provided 10 assists in 24 Premier League starts, and the London club struggled to tie him down to a lengthy deal then. But the 25-year-old can hardly rest on his laurels, given that he’s scored just seven league goals in the last one-and-a-half seasons.
Arsenal paid £12M to sign Theo Walcott from Southampton in 2006, and they have moulded him during the most important years of his career. Considering he’s only 25 now, there are several years of service they could get out of him, and the Englishman does have the hallmarks to be a top Premier League player if he can find his form, but is he a player Arsenal still need?
