Theo Walcott has been a gunner for 10 years this month, but is this cause for celebration or reflection? Walcott was not the first, nor will he be the last, young English player plagued with huge hype at an early age. The excitement was surrounding him at Southampton and when Arsenal signed him as a 16-year old it boiled over. People were excited by the pure electrifying pace that he possesses, and the precision of his finishing, in the small amount of games he played for Southampton. Walcott has always been scrutinised ever since, maybe unfairly, but it is the nature of the beast. Has Theo’s decade in North London been worth the money, media attention or doctor’s bills?
The Boy Wonder
Theo Walcott was somewhat of a child prodigy and viral videos of the young starlet were surfacing everywhere with his goals for Southampton. Arsenal decided to make a move early and bought the then 16-year old for what would eventually become £9.1m. His first season came without any appearances, but a controversial call up to go to the 2006 World Cup for England. This selection could not have helped when it came to hype and expectation. In hindsight even Walcott has admitted what a mistake it was. ‘’I was thrown into the limelight straight away having not even played a Premier League game,’’ said the forward,“suddenly you’re surrounded by these top quality players and thinking. Do I deserve to be here?’’.Walcott reminded fans of a smaller Henry, with his lightning pace and penchant for the accurate side footed finish. Walcott himself views the Arsenal legend as his hero and it must have been a huge reason in him leaving Southampton for Arsenal. He made his debut on 19th August 2006 and showed Arsenal fans what they can hope to expect setting up a goal for Gilberto Silva.
His Ten Year Service
Walcott has overseen some success, as well as large dry spells, with Wenger in his time at the club. Of course, the shortcomings of a team cannot be blamed upon just one player, but at the same time Walcott has not been there often enough to help. He has been riddled by injuries, which has halted his progress and has missed big chunks of seasons. Although his pace cannot be argued with, his decision making has come into question on many occasions. While playing on the wings his choice of when to pass and when to cross left many a Gooner frustrated. Alan Hansen famously once claimed he had no footballing brain. Although he went on to say it was his biggest regret, it did not come out thin air.Walcott has collected 1 FA Cup and a community shield in his time at Arsenal. You could argue that if he had become a Henry type, he could have carried the team, but the lack of trophies at Arsenal shows that he didn’t fulfill this prophecy. This season will be a big one for Walcott, with Giroud becoming a mainstay as a central lone striker, and new one top of Wenger’s wishlist he has to make a serious impact. He is capable of scoring a hat-trick or wonder goal from nowhere but never manages to do so on a consistent basis. Arsenal have the best opportunity to win the league this year in the past 10 years. Performing and securing this could see a return on all the investment for him.
The future certainly holds some uncertainties for Walcott, but at the age of only 26 still, he has the whole world and time in front of him. I can see his former hype leading to interest to come from abroad, but if his dreams still lie with Arsenal, he needs to make sure he is consistent in all areas, performances and playing.
He has already seemingly been overtaken by Hector Bellerin as the fastest player at the club, and will hope whoever comes in over summer will not overtake him as a striker too. His age misleads his amount of experience, and therefore it is entirely conceivable that Walcott could become a forgotten dinosaur even at 26-years-old.