I was relieved as anything to see Theo Walcott hit the net against Spurs last night. But the lad does my head in. Yes, he is still only 18 and still has time to learn, but I really don’t think the kid has what it takes to play in a team like Arsenal’s under Arsene Wenger.

I think there is a lot of goodwill towards Theo, partially because of his youth, partially because he is that rare thing at Arsenal – an English talent. He has a good turn of pace and has set up a few goals. But in truth, the number of appearances he has made have not really had much of a healthy return. 23 starts in his Arsenal career, and 29 appearances from the bench. Four goals in 52 games – some of them as a forward. His strike in the Carling Cup final was a corker. He nabbed two in the 7-0 win over Slavia Prague, but it was really a night for helping yourself and Theo did start that one up front. Then there was the face-saver against Spurs. Theo’s pace and persistence paid off, but there was an element of luck in the finish.

So the kid is no natural goalscorer and occasionally sets up a team-mate for a goal, more often than not in the latter stages of a match when the opposition defence is tiring. But most of the time, he fails to make the right decision. The game is simply happening too quickly for him and he does not have the ability to adapt. Passes go astray or to the opposition. Theo decides to retain possession but, often unable to beat his man, simply runs into a melee of defenders. His crossing is extremely hit and miss, which considering he is often utilised on the flank is criminal (although in truth, he is not alone in his guilt on that one).

The bottom line is that the development of Theo Walcott is a luxury that Arsenal cannot really afford. It’s taken a long time for him to make his mark, but ultimately the damage he does is very limited. Thanks the stars he did manage to score against Spurs, giving Arsenal a respectability in a game that should have been wrapped up several times over by the visitors before his equalizer.

I’d love for him to step up to the plate and show more of the skill and quick thinking he showed in Cardiff last February. But I just don’t see it coming. That now looks like a bit of a one-off. I think Arsene has made a mistake and he just can’t bring himself to admit it. Maybe he is mindful of the quota system by which the first team squad has to have a certain number of players that have joined the club before they reach the age of 18 or somesuch. I’m a bit confused about all the UEFA regulations on that, but that was apparently the reason Chelsea did not include Michael Ballack in their Champions League group stage squad. So in the absence of any alternative English talent, Wenger’s trying to make do and mend.

I don’t doubt Theo will start again at the Lane in the second leg, and if he scores again, hallelujah. But the stats aren’t promising. You need a quick footballing brain and good passing ability to cut it at Arsenal. I have not seen enough to convince me – even though he may only be 18 – that Theo Walcott will develop these aspects of his game. And the longer time goes on, the more bewildered I am about Sven Goran-Eriksson taking him to the last World Cup finals. His chances of being involved in South Africa 2010 look very slim at the moment, should England even qualify.

As for the Carling Cup, if Spurs don’t beat the second stringers in the return leg, I’d put their fans on suicide watch. How much ignominy can they take? Can’t see our luck holding out for that one though, not against a full-strength Spurs team at home.