Of course I’m going to miss the fans, the manager, and the staff were fantastic and helped me along but I was given the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s one of them that I couldn’t turn down, you know?
That’s Ashley Young in an interview after signing for Manchester United from Aston Villa. His “thanks” is delivered with the exact amount of flat, unaffected, emotionlessness one would expect from any perfunctory statement. “So long, thanks for all the fish, I can’t wait to play with Wayne Rooney.”
When it happens to Aston Villa we all say that it’s only natural: they are a feeder club who haven’t won anything significant since the 1980s. But when it happens to Arsenal (in the minds of Arsenal fans) it’s because the player is greedy, the board is failing miserably, or the manager is out of touch. And if Theo Walcott jumps ship after the career he’s had at the club, to go play for Liverpool, I might have to reassess whether or not Arsenal aren’t just being used as a training ground.
In many ways, Theo represents Arsene Wenger’s dreams. He’s a young, English player, whom the Frenchman purchased on the relative cheap, and has crafted into a decent Premier League player. Theo finished the last season with 32 League starts, a career high. He also managed to finish the season with 8 goals and 8 assists which is good enough for 12th place in assists, one more than Ashley Young.
It was a pretty good season for Theo by his own measuring stick. Career highs in starts, assists, shots, and objectively one of his best seasons as a professional. But there’s a glaring problem with Theo’s numbers that doesn’t show up until you look at his whole Arsenal career.
First, he’s never been good at crossing the ball and despite having a career high number of chances this season he only connected on 18 of 134 attempted crosses. That’s 13% and he averaged just 12% the season before and we can’t say that he didn’t have a target man, Robin van Persie has been the form striker of the last 18 months. 12% is just poor. To give you some perspective, Ashley Young averages 21% on his crosses and he’s hardly the best in the League.
Second, he is routinely in the top of the League in turnovers per game. This season he was 11th in the League in that category, coughing the ball up 2.3 times per game. Turnovers are an important measurement for Theo because they are the stat which counts the number of times per game that the player simply miscontrolls the ball: unforced errors, poor touch, dribbling out of play, etc.
Both of these numbers are consistent across Theo’s career and consistently a complaint by Arsenal fans. Now at the age of 23, Theo is hardly a complete player but his passing numbers have always been some of the worst on the club and his number of successful dribbles per game hover below 1 — which is not where you’d like a wing player to be. Sessegnon had similar numbers to Theo across the board, but managed nearly twice as many successful takeons. This doesn’t mean Theo is useless, just giving you some perspective.
The number that surprised me the most, however, was 54. If you look at the number of Premier League starts that Theo has managed in his six seasons at Arsenal, the total comes to 95. Of those 95 starts 51 have come since last season and even weirder, 47 have come since January of 2010. 54% of Theo Walcott’s starts have come in he last two years, 49% in the last 18 months. And this distortion of his career numbers is true across many categories for him: 65% of his League goals and 63% of his League assists have come in the last two seasons.
As I’ve written before, there’s a similar comparison with Robin van Persie’s last 18 months at Arsenal. The Dutchman and the Englishman have both managed around 50% of their Arsenal output in the last 18 months. And they both did so after cutting off negotiations with the club over a new contract. I don’t pretend to know what’s in either player’s heart and I certainly would never say that the player was taking it easy with Arsenal for the last 4.5 years. But can it simply be coincidence that both he and Robin van Persie cut off negotiations with Arsenal 18 months ago and both go on to have a career season?
And worse, what is Arsenal supposed to do? There’s a lot of handwringing over the club “letting their contracts run down” but what would you have done with a player like Theo who 18 months ago had never managed more than 16 League starts in a season and for whom consistency was an apparition? Hand him a bumper deal? I wouldn’t have.
In the end, if Theo wants to leave after everything that the club has done for him and wants to go to Liverpool of all clubs then it makes me wonder about his character but also the nature of Arsenal as a club. Because unlike Robin, for whom the case could be made that he was one of Arsenal’s best players over the last 6 years, there are no such plaudits for Theo. And unlike Robin who can at least hide behind the hobgoblin of “seeking a move to win trophies” Theo going to Liverpool is certainly not about that.
As for what Arsenal have become, I think Arsene’s grand plan of bringing in youth players and building up their loyalty as they forge a core of champions for years to come, a sort of Golden Generation, would take its death blow with Theo leaving. The idea was two-pronged: get a core of players to develop together and pay them well in their youth so that they will be loyal later. Cesc, Theo, Song, and Robin did develop together and are arguable three of the best players in the world in their respective positions. They should be challenging for the League title season after season together from here on out. But what happened is that we found out you can’t buy loyalty because someone can always come along and pay more — and whether that’s in gold, silverware, or shared DNA, it’s a form of payment.
So, what is Arsenal now? Are we a feeder club to Man City? A creche for foreign players to develop their talent in and then return home? A club which is a stepping stone to Liverpool? And what happens when Wilshere is fully developed? The Ox?
I can’t really tell, but I think the key thing is for Arsenal to replace Theo with someone better — which even given his mediocre numbers, history of injury, and poor touch, is easier said than done.
Nice piece. I think Theo’s a frustrating player because we know the talent’s there, he just doesn’t replicate it frequently enough, as you said he needs to take on his man more. He should be very good at taking on his man, Newcastle at home was an example. I wouldn’t want to sell him though.
He’s been better this season but I think his main issue is he lacks aggression.
When backed into the corner (at Spurs), he came out firing which is commendable.
He’s still a remarkable asset for us.
That’s a very balanced perspective on the Theo situation.
For me, losing van Persie is palatable only if I make excuses (he’s almost 30, injury prone, probably never have a season like that again, etc.). The thought of losing Theo, however, is…quite palatable indeed.
I don’t think anyone would accuse us of being a feeder club if we sold Theo. Nor do I think anyone would say it represents a loss of ambition (and that golden generation idea went out the window when Cesc left). Theo’s mediocre numbers are there for all to see, and he is widely regarded (rightly or wrongly…in my opinion, rightly) in the football world as a sprinter, not a footballer.
Thing is, I could see Theo doing a lot better in a purely counter-attacking team. I could see him thriving in a mid-table team. Liverpool might actually be about right for him!
We could do a lot better than Theo, but you’re right…finding that replacement is easier said than done. I’ve noticed we’ve been linked with a number of attacking midfielders lately…
I don’t think it si diffiult to bring in a new player for Theo.
What I think is the risk involved would be the fact that too much change in the squad (PR issues/club image aside) would bring an unsettling effect to the squad)
But there are players available in market currently which we should be abble to pay for with a fee for Walcott and players who will bring more technical ability and versatility to the position (not to mention possibly reinforce our AM position at the same stroke.
As an eg Affelay at Barca or Konoplyanka at Dnipro.
..needless to say of course it will be an unwanted distraction if we had to replace Walcott as well at this stage.
I’ve never understood the hype over Afellay. No thanks to him.
We act like pussies when we deal with these prima donnas. It’s the truth. We let ourselves be bullied by agents and their syncophants in the media (including some idiot bloggers) who pound the drum beat of transfers, ambition and higher wages.
Send Walcott to Liverpool if that’s the whispers his agent is planting. Send RvP to Juventus, even if it means half the transfer fee we might get from Man City. Be more ruthless when you deal with these players, otherwise the wash/rinse/repeat cycle will go on every year with a new handful of players i.e. as you mention AOC, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs, Miyaichi.
Methinks you could get 7-8m for Walcott, 13-14m from Juve for RvP. That’s 20-22m for another decent player or two possibly.
I hear Affelay is unhappy at current regime Blau Grana.
Perhaps a chance to sell RVP that way (since their only recognisable forward of experience is Villa now injured)
And bring Affelay over (plus cash from the Catalans)
Exactly right.
I honestly think that if Affelay was somehow acquired, Rvp would seriously consider resigning. Those that watch holland know that those two are inseparable
Let’s stop the Affellay talk… he ain’t coming.
A) We have Podolski for the left flank, Gervinho, and the still-with-us Arshavin, not to mention the up-n-coming Miyaichi. Why would Affellay come join the queue to play on the flank at Arsenal when the reason he is reportedly fleeing the Nou Camp is lack of opportunity?
B) He’s probably on wages right now that would put him top 3 or 4 on our team currently. Add in Britain’s 50% tax rate for top earners, and I have to wonder why he’d take a pay cut to join our club.
It’s all just crap from the usual media sources.
He would come to play in the ‘cesc role’
Really? Have you seen his assists rate?
Walcott is a very underrated player in my opinion. yes his performance definitely depends on that of the ones around him but still he has quality and skill. there are examples of this like the blackburn game, he didn’t score but in my opinion was one of the 2 best players on the pitch along with rvp. in that game he controlled his territory and gave service to rvp and the ox.
another example is the game against the scum in which he did definitely find the net and threaten the back line.
and in our 3-0 win against aston villa we saw Walcott make the run we’ve been waiting for since he arrived and finished composed from a beautiful chip from song.
in my opinion to lose rvp would be awful but i honestly think that walcott is more import to the club long term due to his age and how (yes he has still not had that brilliant season we are waiting for) but he has improved dramatically every year and i believe that tw14 at his best along with a decent center foward and a good midfeilder is an unstoppable combination.
please reply telling me how 14 is way to young to understand any of this and how i have no idea what im talking about.
14?? I wasn’t even allowed to use the internet at age 14. Not even sure it existed, tbh.
Excellent analysis as usual. Thanks for that Tim.
Based on the numbers I guess it’s ‘meh’ whether he stays or goes. If he goes do we need to replace him or can Ox or Miyachi take over?
I hope we keep Theo. He can be very frustrating at times, but he is incrementally improving and his pace is always dangerous (and not necessarily reflected in his stats). Plus, he is an experienced “homegrown” player and important for our “homegrown” quota numbers — I’d rather keep Theo than have to replace his “homegrown” spot with another young player who needs a lot of development (since Wenger would be highly unlikely to overpay for an experienced English player).
On the flip side, we’d probably score a hefty transfer fee (despite only having one year left on his contract), since he will get the English and “homegrown” premium. We also have reasonable cover for him (if we play Poldi on the left, then Ox, Gervinho, Ryo, etc. can all play on the right).
The NLD at the Emirates was a microcosm of what Theo is about — a super-exasperating first half where promising attacking plays would meet their ends at Theo’s feet and a scintillating second half where Theo exhibited moments of brilliance and scored a brace. He is maddeningly inconsistent, but he is our “Theo Theo Theo”…
He’s definately looking across his shoulders Theo.
Aside from Ox out on RW, there is also the very promising Gnabry coming through. I think Wenger may also be looking to reinforce RW regardless of whether Walcott stays or not.
both Ox and Walcott are very quick but relatively direct players.We are missing someone with a little more craft and subtlety out wide.
It would not surprise me that even if Walcott put pen to paper that we may bring someone-else in who could reinforce us in both AM and @RW.
There are several players available in the market at present with more technical ability who are versatile enough to meet these criterias (and for a reasonable price)
Tim, good piece. Here is a thought: Player ROI. (From the club’s perspective)
If you think through what constitutes a return of investment from a club perspective and try to put it in a formula, I think it will bring some answers to our ‘intuitive’ reactions.
For instance, take the oversimplified RVP formula:
-Bought for $xx in whatever year
-Paid this much in salary and bonuses since then
-Provided this many goals, assists, starts, etc. whatever metric makes sense
-Sold in 2012 for $yy.
If you run numbers, I think selling RVP now is great for Arsenal even from a business point of view. Forcing Arsenal’s hand may be the greatest favor he has done the club.His market value will never be this high, and the risk associated with his health will only increase
So basically this model looks at a player only during their career at a given club, including purchase/sales fees.
And for the record, I think Gervinho is a better player than Walcott
Lolz! Lolz! Lolz!
Linking theo’s possible departure to arsenal being a feeder club…
Lolz lolz lolz
We sold eboue to galatasray, does that makes arsenal a feeder club of turkish giants?
Arsenal spent 4.5 years developing his talent, paying him way over market rate, playing him through rough patches, kept him when he was permacrocked, and he has 18 months of good play and wants to leave just when he’s at his most valuable.
Yeah, I’d say he used us as a stepping stone in his career. Just like Ashley Young did with Aston Villa. Just like Cesc. Just like Robin. Just like Hleb. Just like Nasri. Just like Adebayor. Just like Flamini. Just like…
Cue the perfunctory speech music.
I agree that the perception of “feeder club” applies to the moves of Cesc, Nasri, Adebayor, etc., but in Walcott’s case, I’m not so sure.
I guess the question is: Does the “feeder” perception still work when the player moves to an inferior club? My answer is no, and Liverpool is an inferior club to Arsenal these days.
(I think about it this way: If a player deemed frustratingly inconsistent moves to an inferior club, that’s not a feeder moment, nor is it the club being “used” as a stepping stone. Nonetheless, I do understand the message this could send out…ironically, of course, because for years Walcott has been trashed by the pundits as “not having a footballing brain,” but, should he leave Arsenal, no doubt these same pundits will claim it represents a loss of ambition by the club.)
I see them all as equivalent. Liverpool have spent a great deal of money and are an ambitious club who have suffered under the last few years of management by Dalglish. They are also arguably a bigger club than Arsenal what with their European trophies, their League titles, and their new reality teevee show.
It’s not like he’d be going to Stoke. Though I would love to see a Stoke City reality teevee show.
Stoke city reality show would have to be on HBO because of violence and incest ratings
Disturbing images disclaimer will be part of the intro
oh really! then i guess u would be enraged at denilson’s loan deal. I mean we spent so much time and energy on him too. Poor arsenal.
You’re right. A) I’m enraged and B) Denilson and Theo are equivalent because Denilson returning back to Brazil to play for Sao Paulo while Arsenal supplement his wages is precisely the same stepping stone of a career movement as Theo using Arsenal for 4.5 years and then going on to a club like Liverpool who have been spending huge sums to get back into Europe and who are one of the biggest clubs in the world.
As usual, Critic, you get straight to the aporia with my argument.
Hi tim I think if you look at what we got paid for the players you listed I feel we got paid well over the true value for those players except cesc. I can’t blame Arsenal for takening the money and running look it’s worrying to watch last summer been repeated this summer but as you said in a great blog you can’t make players sign contracts when Arsenal want and any way Theo and RVP have long history of injuries. Are we a selling club at the moment yes if Arsenal keep getting silly money for players I think at the moment they have to take it.
At some point, there’s a diminishing return on that philosophy. You have to stop selling players, even at stupid money, in order to compete for and win trophies.
Which everyone admits is the point of a sports team, right?
But have we reached that point yet since Arsenal deceded to build a new stadium they start taking steps to remove the big earners off the wage bill and move to project youth. So the taking of silly money only kicked since man city got rich and in all fairness the players they bought did not caused me to lose many sleep nights. Also last season after all the doom and gloom we finished 3rd an improvement as you know on the season before. The elephant in the room is the story of Theo going to Liverpool comes from the Sun I don’t thick he will leave. On RVP we already both two replacements.
Bought not both
How wonderfully old-school a notion.
Nope, that is not the point of sports franchises anymore. It ceased becoming an athletic competition, and is now a financial competition.
The reason the Champions League spots are so coveted is not so much for the chance to win a trophy, its the TV revenues and ticket revenues it provides.
Win the EPL title, and sell a few more jerseys while providing justification to raise ticket prices.
It’s all financial.
Because if we sell Robin to Man City and Theo to Liverpool, we have strengthened two rivals and weakened ourselves considerably.
Why can’t Arsenal ever sell anyone our version of a Silvestre?
I don’t think we have a choice in selling players on when forced to.
We are IMO adopting a 2 handed approach on the one hand developing young talent (Ox, Ryo, Jack etc) but on the other hand bringing in players with plenty of experience who are good value in the market (Arteta, Metersecker, Podolski)
No surprises therefore that the team currently 9with exception of the keepr position) has one experienced player for every positions.
hence the argument that we are a team for developing young talent only does not wash true.
OTOH what I do agree needs stopping is us selling on to rival clubs in the league.
We have subsidised City for their first title in4 4 seasons enough.
If there is anywhere we need tos how some ambition, it would be to recognise this factor and sell our players at risk of a smaller pot of gold offshore at expense of our rivals.
Cos this is simpler said then done since any move will also have to be at the consent of the player (and money grabbing agent) concerned.
So there are some limits to our abiltiyto enforce this but we should not be want for trying here even if it’s to Liverpool who have been out of CL for 3 seasons running.
Do you really think we’d be strengthening Liverpool by selling them Walcott?
I don’t.
I think we’ll be selling them exactly what we have: A frustratingly inconsistent player prone to losing possession in the final third, and who puts up okay to average numbers.
I’m wouldn’t really be disappointed if Walcott left. He’s far too inconsistent for my liking. That has been the bane for Arsenal over the last few years. We have very few players who can stand up to the occasion and deliver the goods consistently. Walcott is sensational at times but his mediocrity overshadows his flashes of brilliance. If we can somehow convince Liverpool to cough up 8-10 mil…I’d be keen to get in Jesus Navas. He’s a genuine winger and can cross the ball. He’s technically more adept……..just the kind of player we need.
I think you touch on a very interesting point, that Arsene’s philosophy seems to rely on the loyalty of players to him and the Club to outweigh the flashy lure of financial enticements. It’s a philosophy he has clearly shown in his own commitment to the Arsenal, and one the supporters can obviously relate to. But it doesn’t seem to have worked with the more recent crop of talent coming through our ranks, which I believe says a lot about the damage being done to the game by the ridiculous amounts of money being thrown at players. It seems passion and dedication by players for a club are now just commodities to be purchased by inflated salaries and over-priced trophies. I worry that the more talented players leave Arsenal, the harder it becomes to hang on to those who are still under contract. In which case, AW’s approach, while admirable, is doomed to glorious failure.
We’re doomed…. doomed…
IMHO Theo staying is good for the club. Good for the youngsters to look up to. He is part of the young CORE of the Gunners. And future Arsenal fans read his children’s books growing up Let him prove himself for 3-4 more years. Homegrown Wilshere, Walcott, Jenkinson and Ramsey to rule Arsenal in the future.
It would be better if both Walcott and RVP stayed as it would keep continuity.
Part of the effectiveness of a team when challenging for title glory would be as much playing stability as possible. Too many changes and you run the risk of an unsettled squad.
However, we have to be realistic and if we can’t keep them, I don’t think we have put ourselves in a position where we cannot replace either of them (even RVP) because we got past the finish line in the CL.
We should be looking at a better way to retain these players but the pay structure will take some time to change.
The Petro Dollar clubs have distorted the market and more so player wages and we are seeing the effects in an inability to move underperforming players to hungry ‘second tier’ clubs where as in the past they would have beem more easily snapped up.
And even if/when we have changed the pay structure at the club, there is simply no way for us to bridge the gap and compete with the likes of the PetroDollar clubs (As even AC Milan have found out). This is very bad for football in general.
Many like to go on about how we could not afford a miserly 2-3m more for Mata whom Chelsea eventually paid 22m for, conveniently ignoring the fact that had we decided to push, they would simply counter and the price would easily rise to mid 20m which would stretch our own budget thereby taking resources away from other areas in the team that need looking into.
We don’t spend what we don’t have. That dictates keeping some money in reserve which is prudence in particular as the sales of unwanted players (and therefore striking them off the wage packet) is not complete. Until so, we have to weigh and balance carefully.
That’s how you run any self sustaining business.
AFC is very well-runned, the envy of other clubs, a financial entity, youth buyer, a feeder club and anti-ambitious. Managed by money loving mavericks hell-bend on doing things their way. RVP is coming to the end of his career old age lower wages and away from the lime light awaits. RVP has yet to win a major trophy with the world at his mercy why stay with a club that is not ambitious and with a manger who insists he will never change the way he operates even if his star players keep on leaving whilst management revel in opulence. Usmanov wants dividends his dividends earned from the pitch. When the talisman says what everyone knows then something is wrong. AFC is not after football success or to attract good players but the senseless reply by Hill sums up the vision of the Club. Wenger is employed to bring success to the Board and himself. The board uses limited and constrained resources to justify their bad choices and retain wenger their cash cow who encourages the exodus of the good. Kolo left, Ade left, Cesc left for success, Clichy left for success and Nasri’s words are back to haunt AFC. Management state the club is progress orientated so why don’t they sack Wenger along with his cronies why waste 8yrs and why bring players that are not suitable for Sunday league tournament. The truth can only be supressed for so long before it comes out. The truth is the season will be awash, a painful period, a repeat of last season. If RVP wrote a letter stating how poor and visionless the club then this is the tip of the ice berg. If RVP states AFC is poor then AFC is poor but to what extent?
You sound a tad hysterical there (and not in the funny sort of way);)
Yes we have issues with retention but it is something prevailent across the major leagues in Europe as amply ddemonstarted by even AC MIlan (Belusconi’s) inability to hold prize assets there.
Petro Dollar wins and there’s nothing you can do but plan for such contingencies happening more regularly now (unless FFP is properly caliberated which I suspect it won’t be)
The fact that we brought in two top strikers in their own right (for 24M) shows that lessons to some extent have been properly learnt and that we have still (for whatever feeder club/developmental reasons) have the allure to attract very good talent to the team.
Of course if by which you mean ambition and top quality = excessive payment for players at over inflated prices, then we are not able to compete in that respect.
but bear in mind, for every Hazard that Chelsea brings in @32m, had we followed same course 9which we can’t afford to), we will be incredibly short in reinforcing the team in all the departments we need.
We spent 55m last season plugging holes (mostly effectively) with 8-9 players. This season, we have spent 24m on two high quality strikers (I’m not sure I’ve seen any nay sayer bring up anyone who could offer better value and yet allow us money to continue to compete for more signatures)
If that’s not good planning currently, I’m not sure what is.
Oh yes, let’s go into debt orr invite some trouble into the board room by giving Usamov extra shares.. That will stabilise the club.;)
Should not be terribly difficult to replace Theo but the perrenial turnover is becoming a bit of a nuisance as far as establishing some sort of continuity is concern within the sqaud to move upwards from our current stagnation point (thankfully at very least at a high minimum standard of CL qualfication)
There’s talk about us keeping an eye on Affelay which admitedly seems fanciful but if he is unhappy at Barca for whatever reason, could there perhaps be a chance to swap him for RVP plus somecash from Barca for our talisman.
@26, Affelay is coming into his own in the AM slot and also has the ability to play wide right (in place of Theo) or LW if need be. With Ox stepping up, it would give us variation out wide and potentially AM cover.
Also a possibility Konoplyanka. Juande Ramos is reluctant to sell and has valued him at a ridiculous price but honestly, it’s Dnipro Petrovesk we’re talking about so if we really thought he could be sueful, we should be able to argue the price down a little.
@22, he is again versatile, naturally right footed but very comfortable out at LW and able to slot in behind a striker if need be.
Dzagoev and Ganso have also been mention but those two seem to me a little more single utility (AM) and probably even higher price than either of Affelay (with trade in) or Konoplyanka.
Bearing in mind that we also ahve two very promising wingers in Ryo (ostensibly LW) and Gnabry (RW) developing, then I should say that yes we are setting an unwanted trend but that we should not feel quite as bothered if Walcott does not wish to compete at the highest level preferring the more humble abode of Liverpool and the Europa cup instead.
I think one factor is that Walcott still labours under the delusion that he can play as a striker… without realising that all a team would have to do is sit deep and his presence on the pitch would be completely nullified.
I have a feeling this story is mostly just a beat-up. If Brendan Rodgers is so devoted to football based on passing and possession, why does he want Theo of all people?
Precisely why I think the teamis missing a technical player or two at the moment, someone who can priovide a bit of unpredictability and hold the ball for us when need be.
Most of the recent additions have been more direct players, itself a reaction to our own over laborious blend of possession football in past seasons with Cesc and Nasri.
Gervinho, Walcott, Ox, Giroud, Podolski are all good players but mainly more direct.
I think we could well do with someone more technical in midfield AM/RW area and in particular (when RVP leaves) then someone more technical up front like Leandro @ Internacional (granted Brasilian players are a little over inflated at the moment BC of WC14) or JOvetic perhaps (again overpriced currently but price may drop to a more realistic level end of window)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLttcsBWer4
Paulinho. Corinthians (CAM)
Rumour mill 9.2m bid.
Can’t say he seems to me to be what we need at the moment but if true, looks like Wenger is serious with reinforcing the SM position.
Or maybe a way to drive down prices on other possible targets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/16/robin-van-persie-arsenal-future
And something on van Persie.
I really hope he doesn’t get sold to City.
Theo should just be shown the exit door of The Arsenal Armoury.
He is inconsistent and for a supposedly sprinter he has no control of his strides and of cause the ball! [Period]
Just let him go and I am certain Miyachi, The Ox can prove a more better ball player than Theo!
Walcott wants to go to Liverpool because he wants to play centrally. He came out twice last year and said this. How often do players do this? Almost never… let alone a polite one??
Rodgers wants to sell Caroll because he does not want a target man but a small quick centre forward.
Walcott is a boyhood Liverpool fan.
He is willing to sacrifice Campions League football to play centre forward. Liverpool may be the only club that would play him there so this is his best choice.
Not that it matters…… but this is where I’d play Theo for Arsenal
I really wonder what Theo could offer as a centre forward. He doesn’t have height or strength, or technical ability. Speed can only get you so far. Consider someone like Defoe, who is also small and fast, and has better shooting, instincts and dribbling ability than Theo, but can only really be successful if he has another striker alongside him.
I agree Theo doesn’t have the tools for a typical CF. But then he doesn’t have the tools to play on the wing either, does he? Can’t cross, rarely takes on the FB and even more rarely beats him. He actually seems to do his best work in and around the box, so maybe putting him more central does make sense. We rely so much on the incisive pass to a player cutting behind the defense, and he IS quick, his timing’s good, and he CAN finish.
considering the time he has been at AFC and the number of starts I do not think 5m down and 5m add ons was relatively cheap!
he is inconsistent, cant cross, doesnt track back. sell him for 20m and buy Affelay for 8m
Tim, with due respect, losing Walcott is hardly an existential crisis for Arsenal. The biggest loss it would represent would be the lack of continuity. Not the player. Walcott is replaceable. Probably not like for like, but that might not be a bad thing either. As others have pointed out, we might need someone who’s more technical. I would like to keep Walcott, but not if he’s demanding 100 grand a week. He hasn’t earned it, and I doubt he’ll prove worth it. Especially if you get something like 20m for him.
I get your point about the ‘youth project’ and about stopping the cycle of selling your players even for crazy money. I think we’re nearing that stage, but aren’t quite there yet. The stadium still takes some money away from us, and commercial deals havent quite kicked in. We’d be wise to consider any silly money we get. Especially for a player like Theo.
Hey, maybe Niang is meant to be a failsafe in case Theo leaves. Like Giroud was for Van Persie. Both might seem like lesser players, but it is all about how they integrate in the team. Plus hopefully, the money from the sales of RVP and Walcott will be put back in the team to fill any other gaps.
Side note from our work over the last week – Walcott is the most expensive player on Arsenal on a current transfer purchase price basis. His original fee would now cost Arsenal £28M (zoom in on graph at link below, or click on link just before it for original image). Since Walcott’s purchase Wenger has not bought anyone of similar value in the TPI database. That gives us an indication of where transfer money is being invested, and why the team needs major expenditures even given Wenger’s over performance vs. financial expectations.
http://transferpriceindex.com/2011/09/the-rise-and-fall-of-arsene-an-analysis-of-wengers-transfers-and-results/