Arsenal: Theo Walcott an emerging threat to Thomas Lemar

Arsenal’s pursuit of Thomas Lemar may have hit a wall, but a new threat seeks to undermine it from within. That threat is Theo Walcott.

Never in my worst nightmares could I have seen this coming. Arsenal have been in hot pursuit of Thomas Lemar all summer and the only thing in their way has been Monaco. The Ligue 1 Champions have been insistent that under no circumstances would the French creator be allowed to leave.

Apparently, he was too ‘vital’ to the club’s well-being, while the gobs of other players they sold off weren’t.

That was the only obstacle though.

Now, however, that might be changing. While the Lemar quest has been stuck in neutral for weeks, Theo Walcott has, in turn decided to show the world that he can be pretty effective himself.

Against Benfica in particular, Walcott was sublime. His creativity, which I didn’t even know existed, was one full display as he created several solid chances. But it’s his ability to find space that makes him so dangerous. When given room, he will exploit it and place himself in the perfect position to drive home a goal.

Not enough to undermine Lemar though, right? That’s what I thought to. But my concern comes from the logistical side of things. Arsene Wenger is never going to sign someone if he doesn’t first create a space for him. Kieran Gibbs is leaving. Sead Kolasinac has come in. Lucas Perez is leaving. Alexandre Lacazette has come in.

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I had thought that Thomas Lemar was coming in to replace Theo Walcott, as well as to cover for an Alexis Sanchez exit. But, if Alexis isn’t leaving this season, then what does that leave? We know Alex Iwobi isn’t going to be replaced because that would be stupid. He’s too young and too talented.

And it sure as hell isn’t Mesut Ozil.

It had to be Walcott. And that’s my concern. Few players have held the faith of Wenger quite like Walcott. Throughout his decade of use in North London, he was always been given high priority and if he is starting to show that he can hold down an attacking midfield position, then Wenger may think to himself “I’ll just wait for Lemar then, I clearly don’t need him now.”

Technically, he doesn’t need Lemar now, especially if Alexis is staying, but how much faith do we have in Walcott to make his performances consistently look like what we saw against Benfica? That was a real question that I don’t know the answer to.

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It is also a question that I fear will give Wenger enough cause to give the Englishman another go at another position. But I suppose only time will tell. It will certainly be interesting, as new Wenger looks prepared to oust players for improved transfers, but old Wenger would certainly favor the guys he already has and knows.

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