Does this pacey Arsenal wide-man have a future at the Emirates?

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Arsenal eventually finished second in a Premier League season that has been the most unpredictable in years. The final day perfectly summed this up with Tottenham losing 5-1 to a relegated Newcastle United side, which allowed Arsenal to leap-frog their bitter rivals to a second place finish.

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This season belonged to Leicester, their victory will leave the so-called elite clubs licking their wounds and looking to rectify the mistakes of this season. Arsenal are the one club that will be more frustrated than most after their encouraging first half of the campaign, only to fall away once again in January.

Changes at Arsenal?

Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky have all played their final games for the club, and if rumours are to be believed Theo Walcott could be a name that may be added to that list – although some expect the club to resist any offers for the England international.

It is reported by various papers that Leicester City Manager Claudio Ranieri has enquired about his availability in the last few days, with Walcott seemingly uninterested in the switch. There is also expected to be interest from West Ham this summer who are looking to strengthen their attacking options.

Walcott first made his name at Southampton; where he spent six years, before his big money move to the Premier League with Arsenal. Much was expected of the “speed-merchant”, but for most he has failed to fulfil his supreme potential. Walcott’s form over the ten seasons that has followed has been inconsistent. This is mainly down to reoccurring injuries he has suffered.

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Where does he fit in?

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger now faces a huge dilemma with the former Southampton youngster. Where does he play him? For seasons, he has been used predominately as a winger but in recent times, there has been a clamour to play him as a striker. Admittedly, there have been instances where this has worked. In fact, up until he picked up a calf strain last November he was holding his own and earning regular appearances.

In his absence, Wenger opted for Giroud who has again had a decent return without really pulling up any trees with his performances. His hat-trick on the final day helped flatter his goals tally in the league this campaign, finishing with 16 strikes in the top flight.

Walcott; now 27-years-old, has made 343 appearances and scored 85 goals which is a strike rate of one in every four games. It is a level of performance, especially for someone who has spent the majority of his Arsenal career as a winger.

In the current system, Walcott would find it difficult to be a regular starter. Should we combine this with the fact that Arsenal are looking to acquire a world class striker, it does not bode well for Walcott’s future at Arsenal, especially if he has international football ambitions. There is an argument that with Arsenal’s personnel, they would be more suited to a 4-1-2-1-2 which would compliment him along with Wenger’s apparent favourite son – Olivier Giroud.

However, this is unlikely as Wenger has firmly settled on his 4-2-3-1 system. Another Arsenal striker; namely Danny Welbeck, missed the majority of this season due to having a knee operation and only managed 11 league games in the total campaign. When fit, the former Manchester United forward has been preferred to Walcott, which would be another concern for the 27-year-old.

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Theo Walcott signed a contract extension back in July 2015 keeping him at the Emirates for another four years, however with the addition of another striker it would be unforeseeable to see him with a realistic future. We have seen the emergence of Alex Iwobi in the last quarter of this season and he should continue to be allowed to thrive. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil are head and shoulders above the rest in the Arsenal squad, meaning they are the first names on the team-sheet along with Petr Cech. Although presently Walcott has suggested he is happy with life at Arsenal, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to see his frustrations grow.

The Gunners are currently paying their forward £140,000 a week, and you would have to ask yourself whether he would he be happy to constantly be benched? Furthermore, would Arsenal be happy to be paying his wages for him to be rarely contributing to the cause?

Walcott still has a lot to offer Arsenal and anyone that suggests otherwise has a short memory. That being said, this summer will his biggest in his career in North London. Failing to impress early on could see him firmly fall down the pecking order as Arsenal look to challenge for a title they have not won since 2003-04.

How do you see Theo Walcott’s Arsenal future progressing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Emrah Partal