Arsenal: Danny Welbeck could become another Theo Walcott

Arsenal had high hopes when they nabbed Danny Welbeck from Manchester United, but is he just a taller version of Theo Walcott?

Arsenal went through a streak of years where they just refused to address the problem that was their over-reliance on Olivier Giroud. Names were tossed about as potential striker pairings to alleviate this problem, but in the end, Arsene Wenger turned to Danny Welbeck.

Suffice to say, we were all pretty excited about it. He had the raw tools of a titan, he scored freely with the English national team and it seemed like all he needed was a chance to play in his preferred position – the No. 9.

Well, he’s had chances. Plenty of them, and among the quick, brilliant bursts of magnificence there are long, drawn out lulls of inadequacy. His effort is always there, the potential is always there, but the follow through is always somewhat lacking.

Sounds like someone else we just sold – Theo Walcott. Walcott was the longest tenured Arsenal man when hew as sold and his career was speckled with a more drawn-out version of what Welbeck is undergoing right now.

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Only Walcott would have full, convincing season and then injuries, inadequacy or a combination of the two would disrupt his flow and he would settle into this sort of doldrums where we could see the potential, but rarely the follow-through.

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It’s not that either Walcott or Welbeck isn’t good enough to play for Arsenal Football Club. When you boil it down to a matter of skill and you look at their best possible output, they could walk onto most teams in the world and secure at least a rotational role. It’s in the consistency aspect of the game that they both fall tragically short.

Welbeck has twelve goals and five assists since joining the club four years ago. He has only played 4,495 minutes. That puts his goal output at roughly one contribution per 374 minutes. I don’t need to tell you that this simply isn’t good enough.

But as with Walcott, we keep asking ourselves the same question – is the potential worth the inconsistency?

I’m not here to tell you whether it is or it isn’t. Both sides have a perfectly legitimate claim and it’s no like either is right or wrong. Welbeck is always going to put in every ounce of effort that he has and that is certainly something that helps his cause.

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Welbeck will probably get the run out in the second leg against Ostersunds FK at the Emirates in the No. 9 role. He needs to do better than what he did in Sweden.

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