Theo Walcott: Is he worth it?

With 14 goals this season, you may be inclined to say Theo’s the real deal. Performances like the one against Newcastle should’ve boosted his credentials. But his contract signing and his move to the coveted center forward position is just another indication of how Arsenal as a club have fallen down the ladder.

How? Let’s see. There is a certain Theo Walcott, who has been playing for the club since the tender age of 16 down the right wing and now is suddenly stalling on contract talks over his position in the Arsenal setup. This move comes in the aftermath of Robin Van Persie‘s departure and Olivier Giroud not stepping up to the plate. You may say that Arsene Wenger has a credible track-record of changing wingers into forwards: think Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie and consider Gervinho’s move to the central role. But atleast they showed some potential to play that role: the same potential that differentiates Cristiano Ronaldo, who scores lot of goals from out wide, from a true winger like Jesus Navas. But Theo Walcott has never showed that he can play like Ronaldo i.e Ronaldo starts out on the left wing but cuts inside between the full-back and the center-back. For a person who has been described as one-dimensional - he has pace but no trickery – how do you expect Theo to beat the combinations of Terry-Cole, Vidic-Evra or even Jagielka-Baines? That was evident in the first FA Cup tie between Swansea and Arsenal, where he tried to cut inside with little reward. I don’t mean to say that he has zero ability and his 14 goals were a fluke, but these are some of his weak points. He is just not showing his full range, week in week out.

Another issue is he cannot play as a true center forward. Olivier Giroud and Maraoune Chamakh offered more in that aspect. Both have an eye for goal, hold up the ball and be part of plays. Theo, meanwhile, doesn’t have that same skill-sets as they do. So, another alternative has been discussed above. That is, play him out wide, but let him cut inside to the centre. But not only is his dribbling an issue, the role of Bacary Sagna and Carl Jenkinson becomes more of an issue. Although the winger and the full-back are there to provide width, with Walcott out wide, the full-back has to provide width. So they have to be present both in attack and defense, a role which is tiring. And considering Carl Jenkinson hasn’t been up to expectations in offense, that would be like a gaping hole in the right side of the Arsenal play.

Also the fact that Arsenal have been renowned for selling stars to rivals and bigger teams has played a huge role in this aspect. After reading this and after seeing his performances over the few weeks, do you think Theo is worth the 15 million Arsenal are spending for him? Is he the real star when we compare him with RvP or even Nasri? Certainly not. But he is liked by the local population because he is an exception in a team that relies on foriegn recruits than local talent. He is inconsistent, slightly on the over-rated side, one-dimensional but he stays on the team because he is British. If he was an foreigner, he would’ve been gone long back.

Now, Arsene Wenger has realised that he has to satisfy the fans and media first, before anything else. For they are the ones who decide whether the team is doing well or not. I think that Arshavin and Chamakh are out of the team picture because the fans want them out, else Wenger would have integrated them more. Same goes with Theo. He had to keep him, to make a statement that they aren’t a selling club or the media vultures would pounce on him. On another day, let’s say the Invincibles days, he would have had to leave and another player would’ve replaced him. But we are far from those days. Walcott knew he’d have to sign with them anyway because he needs Arsenal more than we need him. Because, let’s face it, where would he go? The Manchester sides are loaded with talent and he wouldn’t get a chance to play there, not even as a full-back. Chelsea is a more realistic option but he’d have to play on the wings, with Torres around. Liverpool is a down-grade from Arsenal and barring Tottenham, no other team would pay Walcott’s wages and fee. So he decided that considering the situation, he could wreck havoc for the Gunners. I believed, to be honest, he had nowhere to go and decided to make an insane demand i.e to play where he wants. That is stupid of a player and he should be given the axe rather than give him the chance. But considering the situation at the Emirates, which was grim, Wenger had to re-sign him or Arsenal would plunge into crisis once more. So is he worth it? On a normal day, no. But considering the circumstances and the state of the club, he is worth it.