George Walker
Theo Walcott has played the role of the number one Arsenal enigma for football pundits and Gooners alike since his arrival at the club. His ability and potential have never been in doubt throughout his tenure at the Arsenal, but his level of production has consistently wavered, leaving question marks over his value to the club.
The basic situation is that Theo's contract is due to expire at the end of the current season and that, if he does not renew his contract or is sold à la RvP, he will leave as a free agent. Currently, there seems to be a lockdown over contract talks, as AW seems reluctant to play Theo until the issue is resolved whilst Theo is unwilling to sign a contract until he knows he features prominently in the plans of Le Boss. This has resulted in a rather pathetic stand-off, which now sees Theo frozen out of the team and contract talks stalled. As far as the contract itself goes, there are two major stumbling blocks - a) Theo wants to see his weekly wage increased from around £70,000 to around £100,000 and b) Theo wants to be played as a striker.
For me, the first demand is easily resolved. If Theo shows form which is worthy of a pay rise, as he has so far during his sporadic spells in the team, then the money is available to increase his pay. This increase could also be covered by the money brought in from the departures of dead wood such as Chamakh, Squillaci and Djourou. The second demand is one which would benefit all parties. Ever since his arrival, it has been clear to us all that Theo wants to be a striker, and many like myself believe he would suit this role better than the wide role he is currently employed in. The only thing stopping this from happening is AW. Despite numerous promises, this is a matter he has yet to deliver on, and he has allowed his stubbornness to cloud his judgement. Hopefully, Theo's recent goal-scoring exploits can continue and Arsène’s mind can be changed.
But the big question is, does Theo merit a new deal? Has he shown enough? In my eyes the answer is yes - just. An article in the recent edition of the Gooner commented on Theo being a 'mini-Thierry Henry waiting to explode' and that is a theory I can relate to. I'm not claiming that Theo is going to become anywhere near the player TH14 was, but I can see how their play and their tendencies are similar. Firstly, both started out as wingers and both (hopefully) will turn out to be strikers. Secondly, they both experienced issues with finishing at the start of their careers and then both improved their finishing dramatically - an improvement we have seem from Theo so far this season. The main difference is that Theo does not have the all-round game TH14 had, he does not possess the skill, touch or vision TH14 did, he can only emulate one part of his game, playing off the shoulder of the last man and using his pace and finishing to score goals.
But how does he add to the team? Playing Theo as a striker would add much-needed pace to our cumbersome attacking unit, which consists only of Giroud and Chamakh. This would allow us to stretch defences, forcing them to drop deeper and afford playmakers such as Cazorla more room to weave their magic. I can also see Giroud and Theo forming a decent big-small combination too, as much because of Giroud's apparent vision and ability to create as his physical presence.
I hope a solution can be found, and I hope AW can unlock Theo's true potential, as I fear that if he does not, somebody else will, and that is something that does not bear thinking about.
Due to recent injuries to Ramsey, The Ox and Gervinho, Theo has been provided with an opportunity to continue his rich vein of form. An injection of pace is just what the team needs.
