Arsene Wenger Doing Theo Walcott a Disservice if he Forbids Summer Sale

Theo Walcott is in a bind at Arsenal. He’s caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s not getting the playing time he thinks he deserves, Arsene Wenger has stated that until Walcott can defend, he can’t play, and now it’s becoming a distinct possibility that Arsenal will not sell Walcott this summer in the hopes that it will push him into a new deal before the January 2016 transfer window.

Arsene Wenger had this to say (via the Telegraph) about if he was feeling any pressure from the Theo Walcott situation:

"“We are always in the mode where we want to be successful. In case of failure, we’ll see but in case of failure – that will only be in December. Today I’m not in that kind of mode of thinking because I just think I want him to stay. When you go into negotiations with a player it is with a desire for him to stay. He looks keen to do it and I am keen to do it, so let’s see what comes out. We are already talking to him, but there are no updates yet”"

Based on these statements alone, it appears that Theo Walcott will remain with Arsenal until they can determine whether or not they’re in a position of failure.

This does not bode well for the potential sales value of Theo Walcott, nor does it bode well for Theo Walcott’s situation at Arsenal. We know how frustrating Theo Walcott’s contract situations can get, as last time negotiations were underway, it went right down to the wire. Apparently we’re doomed to the same fate this time around.

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However, this time around, we don’t need Walcott as much, for what it’s worth.

Theo Walcott can’t be happy with this scenario, but in the end, it all comes down to his willingness to work out a deal and adjust to Arsenal’s new system. I wouldn’t be absolutely opposed to Arsenal selling the speedy winger this summer, as he’d fetch a handsome price and open up the potential for a new impact player. By essentially refusing to sell Walcott this summer, Wenger is seriously hurting his sales value. A player with a year left on his contract is a bit more valuable than a frustrated player with six months left on his contract.

Assuming that no new deal is done, a span of months from the summer to December could be incredibly tough to deal with for Theo Walcott. He wants playing time and he’s not going to get that playing time with how heavy competition is within Arsenal and how little of an impact he’s having in his performances.

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I think that Arsene Wenger should be open to selling Walcott this summer. I really do. That’s not to say I want to see Walcott leave, I just don’t want to see him handcuffed to the team like Nicklas Bendtner was. He’s still an Arsenal man and just because he’s stalling on a contract doesn’t mean he should be confined to the bench with no hopes of an exit. Walcott still has quite the career ahead of him, but six months of inactivity would have a negative impact on that career.

I don’t know what the relationship between Theo Walcott and Arsene Wenger is like. These are two people who aren’t the blabbering type. But it just feels like Wenger is sticking it to Theo Walcott. I don’t expect Arsene Wenger to do him any favors, but if you truly want him to stay then putting him in a vice grip isn’t the best way of showing it.

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