Arsenal Running Out Of Options With Theo Walcott

Arsenal and Theo Walcott have an extensive, ten year relationship. Yet that relationship has never been as strained as it is right now. Where do they go from here?

As the longest-tenured Arsenal man, having just passed a decade with the club, a tremendous amount of praise should go out to Walcott. He has stuck with the club through some good times and some bad times. He has seen the end of the glory days and the beginning of the Emirates days.

Through it all, he has shown tremendous potential. His pace and finishing ability was top notch and he took the No. 14 to add a bit of hype to his already massive potential.

Injuries always managed to intervene, but when healthy, Walcott was great. From 2011-2013, across two seasons, Theo Walcott was at his peak. He made 56 starts for Arsenal, scoring 22 goals and assisting on 18. The following year began with extreme promise as well. In just nine starts Walcott had already accumulated five goals and four assists (stats via WhoScored).

But yet again, injuries got in the way. In that time, Arsenal purchased Danny Welbeck and Alexis and suddenly, Theo Walcott’s role on the team is up for question.

It really is hard to see Walcott as anything more than a squad rotation player. He is having a pretty odious year, as his consistency has been nonexistent. Aside from a handful of games at striker, Walcott doesn’t seem to fit in. Glimpses of his old self turned into months of painful ineffectiveness.

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He does have some flashes of brilliance, but you can’t keep forcing the guy into the team in the hopes that you get a moment or two of token Theo Walcott.

Which leads to the question of the article. Where do they go from here? Walcott just signed a huge deal at the beginning of the season, making him one of the richer men at Arsenal. That would indicate intention to make him an every day starter, but that is not realistic given Arsenal’s expectations.

Plus, this offense is built around the kind of services that Giroud and Welbeck can provide. Not Theo Walcott. Now that Danny Welbeck has returned from injury, he has to be the go-to guy at striker when Giroud is off. In his brief time since returning, he has proven that he is ready for another chance at striker. And that’s what he was bought for.

That relegates Walcott back to the wings, where he has been at his worst this year. Aside from a standout performance against Manchester City, Walcott’s wing game has deteriorated. So much so that Campbell and the Ox now stand in front of him. Of course, with the Ox out injured, Walcott moves up a tick, but you have to factor in Danny Welbeck too, as Giroud is still the main striker.

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Walcott is in a bit of a pickle at Arsenal. They were right to pay the guy, they have the money and he’s been here long enough to earn it. But that doesn’t mean that he should be shoe-horned into the team for appeasement. As of right now, he cannot be much more than an impact sub and rotation player.

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