Arsenal: Theo Walcott departure asking for trouble

Sam Allardyce confirmed that Everton are interested in bringing Theo Walcott to Goodison Park. His exit, from an Arsenal injury perspective, would be asking for trouble.

It seems as though Theo Walcott is nearing an Arsenal exit. He has been with the club for 12 years now, having been signed as a hot-prospect at the tender age of 16 from Southampton. He has served his time dutifully; he has also seen his standing in the squad gradually seep away to the extent that, this season, he has played just 50 minutes of Premier League football.

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The two clubs fighting for his services, at least per current reports, are Everton and Southampton. Ostensibly, it is Everton that are winning that race — the greater chance to challenge the top six, as well as the presence of Sam Allardyce as manager, someone who valued Theo highly when he was England manager, are key factors in their winning.

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And it is Allardyce that has publicly set the wheels in motion for a permanent deal to be completed in the coming days and weeks. Here he is speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Toffees’ trip to Spurs on Saturday evening, where he was not only gushing in his praise for Walcott but also revealed that negotiations are ongoing:

"“You’re all aware in our interest in Theo. If we’re able to get that over the line, I’ll be delighted.If we can get that all sorted out then that would be a great addition to join us in an attacking point of view. Two to three reasons [for interest]: goalscoring threat, pace, experience and he’s good on assists from wide in terms of his crossing. It’s not imminent but negotiations are going on and we’re hoping to negotiate a permanent deal.”"

It is not an especially surprising departure. Walcott is a player of the calibre, profile, and ability to demand regular Premier League playing time. That is something that Arsene Wenger simply can’t offer him.

The problem for Arsenal, though, is the same as every year: injuries. With Alexis Sanchez also seemingly on his way out of the club, Olivier Giroud still unavailable for the foreseeable future, Mesut Ozil working through an ailing knee problem, Danny Welbeck finding his match sharpness after an absence earlier in the year, and Alex Iwobi battling against poor form and depreciating confidence, Arsenal are not exactly blessed at the position.

Now, these are not necessarily long-term problems. Ozil could return as early as this Sunday, Welbeck is at least playing and improving, as is Iwobi, while any Sanchez departure will see a replacement come the other way. But given Arsenal’s history of a depleted squad scuppering their progress, selling Walcott in the middle of a season is just asking for trouble.

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I am not against selling Walcott. It is fairly clear that his time has come to an end. But I would rather see it happen in the summer, not midway through a campaign without a replacement. It’s asking for trouble and, as we all know with Arsenal, that is something that very rarely ends well.