West Ham or Everton? Which Is The Ideal Destination For Arsenal’s Theo Walcott?
Arsenal have entered a season of serious implications as the future of their manager Arsene Wenger could be decided, along with which the future of the club could also be affected. The French manager is looking to make sure that the squad at his disposal has all the options that he needs in the English top flight.
The manager is finally looking to spend big in the transfer market and seems ready to sign some of the finest talents in world football and that will mean that underperforming players in the side will be kicked out in the next couple of transfer windows. One such player, who may quit the Emirates as early as January is English winger Theo Walcott.
With just 46 minutes of Premier League action this season, Walcott has fallen down the pecking order under Arsene Wenger. But with 267 PL appearances and 59 UCL appearances to add to 47 appearances for the English national side, Walcott is one of the most experienced wingers in England at the moment.
A versatile winger, who can also play as a No. 9, the 28-year old is extremely quick, smart with the ball at his feet and is an excellent finisher. He can score goals at will and will always be a menace to his opponents in the final third. His lack of consistency is an issue but playing regularly for a side with little expectations might be the best way to get him back to his best.
The likes of Southampton and Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on him but two other clubs who could fight for his services are Everton and West Ham United.
While Ronald Koeman’s spending spree has hardly helped Everton in their new, Lukaku-less season, Slaven Bilic’s bold buys in the transfer market have not done too much to improve West Ham’s fortunes either. So the question now is, which is a better destination for the 28-year old Theo Walcott?
The likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen are both expected to feature heavily for Everton in the next few years. Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley (if he stays) may yet retain their places in the side, making it much difficult for Walcott to walk into the Everton first team.
To add to it, the likes of Yannick Bolasie and Ademola Lookman will only make it tougher for Walcott to have an immediate impact on the team.
However, at the Olympic Stadium, Walcott will be a winger in a side that lacks natural width in the attack. Michail Antonio, Andrew Ayew, Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini are the closest that West Ham have in the place of wingers in their squad and Walcott can present a more natural wide option in this squad.
Both teams will be expected to alter their systems to fit in the 28-year old who can, in all fairness, be a genuine hit at either club.