Ever since Theo Walcott signed for Arsenal from Southampton something huge was for him in the store. The Englishman costed the Gunners a transfer fee of around 12 million euros and well he didn’t have the best of the starts. The then 16-year old attacker was used as a winger and striker plus opportunities were hard to come by. But Walcott knew that if he could perform well on regular basis he could fend of competition from any Arsenal player. But with a few niggling injuries and dip in form saw Walcott occupy the sidelines and was majorly used a substitute. His amazing pace was lethal and sent chills down the defender’s spine. Walcott showed some amazing flare and craftsmanship in his playing style and by 2008 he was a major starter in the Gunners’ squad. His best form came between 2013-15 seasons as he was just at his very best. His dribbling abilities and scoring made a deep impact in the Arsenal season. Today, we analyze how Walcott could pan out as a striker for the coming season.
Arsenal have Oliver Giroud and Danny Welbeck who can play upfront. But with Danny Welbeck not performing at the highest level and Giroud approaching 30s, the possible player who could be deployed as a striker seems to be Theo Walcott. Walcott was majorly played as a winger last season and could just play 14 matches for only 456 minutes out of the available 1260 minutes. He scored 5 goals and couldn’t assist in his last term. Also, in the Community Shield match against Chelsea, Walcott started out as a striker and caused a few troubles to the generally tight defensive pair of Gary Cahill and John Terry. However, he couldn’t find the net himself but assisted fellow English compatriot Alex Oxalade Chamberlain. His dribbles were solid and incisive to say the least. As a matter of fact Walcott featured as a striker for the Gunners. Also, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger spoke about Theo Walcott’s possible striking position to the Express
“But he’s at the best age now, 1989 born. Being 26 to 32 as a striker is the best age as a striker and I wouldn’t like to miss that golden age.
“I think his position will be striker. The quality of the runs is so fantastic with the pace he has. When he was younger he was rushing his finishing but he is a good finisher now.”
As a matter of fact Wenger went on to compare Theo Walcott to Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry.
CONCLUSION:
With Giroud turning into his wrong side of the thirties, Arsenal could be trying to place a bid for Giroud’s countryman Karim Benzema. But, Real Madrid doesn’t want to lose Benzema on the cheap and would be a major task for Arsenal to get Benzema in their ranks and they might have to splurge to land the French striker. However, if Arsenal fail to land Benzema, Walcott could be just the solution to their striker woes.