Arsenal: Theo Walcott endorsement coming from opposite end

Theo Walcott has done some amazing things with Arsenal, but lately, most of the praise has come from Arsene Wenger. It’s coming from the opposite end now.

Arsenal nation is pretty set on the idea that Theo Walcott needs to leave the club and I’m definitely game for that. In the words of so many other people out there, “I’d drive him” to wherever the move takes him.

However, I took time to praise Walcott earlier today for his hands-on approach to being given a chance in his natural position again. Against BATE Borisov, he played on the right wing and he was simply superb.

It’s not the first time that Walcott has been superb out of nowhere and it won’t be the last. That has never been the problem. The problem has been the nowhere in between.

Yet through it all, there has always been that one voice that will never say anything bad about his players. That voice being Arsene Wenger’s.

As recently as this week, before the BATE Borisov game, in fact, Wenger was adamant that Walcott would not be sold in January because he was too sharp and therefore too important to the club.

Granted, Wenger would never outright admit someone is leaving, but this isn’t the first time that Wenger has spoken up for Walcott and come to his defense. The thing is, you rarely hear that praise coming from anywhere else for the Englishman.

Fans are far more negative towards him and players hardly mention him either, mostly because he rarely plays. But a ringing endorsement has come in form the complete opposite side of the spectrum than Wenger and, as an Walcott-Outer, I was actually a bit warmed and fuzzied about what was said. These are the words of Alex Iwobi:

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"Theo [Walcott] is one of the more experienced players and he would know how to go about doing this, he still motivates the team and puts in a good shift in training. I even look up to him at times, he tells me what to do and gives me advice. Everyone is there for each other, the chemistry is there. He brings goals, chances and is an attacking threat with a lot of pace and he’s one that can hurt defences, so he’s very important to the team."

That’s what the young Nigerian told the Arsenal website, and, like I said, I’m actually finding myself softening up to Walcott. It feels weird. Foreign. Like an invasion of my personal being.

This does go a long way though, what Iwobi said. The fact that Walcott really is still pushing and being a good role model, that means something. And it means even more because, yes, Wenger says all these nice things about Walcott, but he says those things about everyone.

The fact that Iwobi is adding more credence to Walcott’s importance should at least give us a moment’s pause.

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I still think he should be sold while we still can, and I do think that he will be, if not in January, then certainly in the summer. But it is tempering my fiery resolve to run him out of town now that I have heard Iwobi speak so highly of him.

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