Theo Walcott is entering his 13th season with Arsenal and with the Gunners reported interest in signing Riyad Mahrez and/or Thomas Lemar, the question remains: “is it time for Arsenal to let Theo Walcott go? ” is crucial.
The 28-year-old forward has made 400 appearances for the North London club since making his debut back in August 2006 at the tender age of 16. He is only second to Patrick Vieira (402) in terms of appearances under current boss Arsene Wenger.
He is also a member of the Centurion club for the Gunners, scoring his 100th goal in The Emirates FA cup fixture against Sutton United also claiming a 5th hat trick against his former club, Southampton in the league cup. He is the 18th Gunner to achieve this feat.
The pacy forward is also one of the club’s highest earners with a weekly salary of over a hundred thousand plus.
Despite being able to play anywhere across the front line, the Englishman has struggled in his preferred striker role and had the most success when deployed from the right wing in the attack.
In spite of the above resumè, it remains the worst kept secret that he has failed to blossom to the anticipated heights expected of him when he first broke onto the scene.
Further more, keen observations have revealed that his stats just before contract renewals dwarf his natural game by a milestone.
He is a player who has suffered a lot of injuries within his spell at the Emirates with a knee injury being the most recent that kept him out of the game for almost 8 months back in the 2014/15 campaign.
His unpredictable form serves as the basis for this piece. It remains the foundation for all questions surrounding his future with the Gunners.
Letting him go will free up the funds to accommodate an increase in wages for impressive existing squad players and even potential incoming players such as Mahrez and Lemar.
When compared with these two players, Walcott is behind them in all facets except for the speed to be honest.
To make a case for him will be based mostly on sentiment all things considered. Is it time for Arsenal to part ways with the current longest serving player in the squad? That is a question only Arsene Knows.
