Arsenal: Theo Walcott sold, now we wait for the answer

Arsenal have officially sold Theo Walcott for a fee that gives them some spending money. So now we sit back and wait for the answer.

Well, it’s about time. Arsenal have finally sold Theo Walcott to a team where he can actually make an impact and, in return, the Gunners are free to use their new spending money (because apparently they needed it) to answer the new opening.

According to BBC Sport, Walcott joins Everton for a fee of £20m, which, as mentioned, is a hefty fee that should prompt a signing coming in the other direction.

There are options galore, and not just outside of the club (most people probably don’t want to hear that).

Against Bournemouth, with a severe shortage of players, the Gunners had Eddie Nketiah on the bench. With Walcott now also removed, that leaves two openings where we should expect (and demand) to see two viable first-team players.

I loved seeing Nketiah on the bench, but let’s be honest, he was there as a placeholder. Arsene Wenger had no intention of actually using him unless the game was lopsided in Arsenal’s favor. Which obviously didn’t happen.

Reiss Nelson is obviously the first internal name that comes to mind, as he plays Walcott’s position as has proven capable of some extraordinary things, when given the chance. Just 18 years old, he has the potential to be the next big thing, and with Real Madrid supposedly barking, getting him in the first team may be the step needed to solidify him,

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More realistically, we have to expect a signing coming in from outside the club. The objective was to sign someone so that starting XI against Bournemouth didn’t have to be recreated against Crystal Palace, but that’s looking unlikely with it already being Thursday and no rumor graduating past an optimistic murmuring.

Still, Malcom seems like the most realistic bet. The Brazilian was doubted in regards to replacing Alexis, but in replacing Walcott, he’d essentially get a blank slate, as the departing Englishman has been a non-factor this year and has slowly regressed in the past couple of years. Meaning that a 20-year-old with gobs of potential and plenty of here-and-now talent is the kind of upgrade that successful teams make.

The problem is that Bordeaux are being very Lyon-esque about this, and making thins difficult. The Gunners may have to settle with loaning him back to the French club for the rest of the year, which could give Nelson his opening while also securing Nelson for the future.

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Hard to argue with that outcome either, as we get the best of both worlds.

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