Arsenal will be in the mood for some chopping and changing come the summer transfer window, with manager Arsene Wenger speaking out about the future of one of his first team players.
Theo Walcott has gone from a promising young talent to one of the senior players at Arsenal, but it looks like the England attacker’s days at the Emirates Stadium could be numbered. The emergence of attacking players like Alex Iwobi and Joel Campbell, coupled with Walcott’s own troubles with injury and form, mean that Walcott could be on his way out in the summer.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed his doubts over the 27-year-old’s future, claiming he will wait for the end of the season before taking a decision.
“I don’t know yet,” said the French manager on Walcott’s future at Arsenal, according to Goal.
“I’m not in transfer mode at the moment, but I think he has gone through a bad spell. He has responded very well, because he said: ‘Okay, I will work harder and more.’
“Even when he comes on now, you see he is motivated and focused. Let’s see how well he finishes the season now.”
Wave goodbye to Walcott
Arsenal just have four games left to play this season, having been knocked out of the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. Four games is hardly enough for Walcott to make up for a lacklustre campaign, where he has scored just nine goals in 40 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners.
Walcott has also failed to secure a position in the starting XI, interchanging between right wing and centre-forward without being very effective in either role. The right winger role has been usurped by the likes of Joel Campbell and Alex Iwobi, who have stepped up to the plate, while Olivier Giroud has outperformed Walcott in the striking role.
The Englishman will very likely be sold off in the summer and could be a good buy for Premier League teams lower down the table. He has the correct mix of experience and ability, and should a new club persist in giving him more game time, Walcott could conceivably hit the kind of form that saw him become Arsenal’s top scorer in 2012-13 with 14 goals and 12 assists.
