Theo Walcott to ‘discuss future’ with Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger and Theo Walcott are due to discuss the England winger’s future at Arsenal within the next couple of weeks, according to press reports this morning.

That should be a fairly short conversation.

At what point does a player stop just being promising and turn into just another middle-of-the-road performer? Walcott may only be 22, but surely we’re approaching the point at which even Wenger has to recognise that he’s never actually going to be the player that he was projected to be.

Yes, yes, he’s very quick, but so what – what’s the value of a winger that gets beyond his man but is unable to exploit the situation. Instead of Walcott, Arsenal would be equally well-served by a player that just kicked the ball off for a goal-kick every time.

Ok, there’s an element of exaggeration about that, but the basic point remains valid – why do Arsenal continue to persevere with a player that so rarely benefits the team? Walcott is an athlete dressed in football kit, with precious little appreciation for the subtleties of the game.

Compare the average Walcott performance with that of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the weekend. The former; wasteful, anonymous, directionless – the latter; direct, incisive, and creative. Oxlade-Chamberlain is four years younger than fellow Southampton Academy product, but you would never guess that by comparing their relative footballing maturity.

Those who cling to the belief that one day Walcott will be played through the centre and then miraculously blossom into the reincarnation of Thierry Henry are kidding themselves, because there’s no evidence to suggest that that could ever happen. He’s just never going to be good enough for Arsenal, and Wenger needs to recognise that – in fact, take his England hat-trick out of his career, and what are you actually left with?

He will never fulfill his potential, and Wenger should cash-in while enough of the football community still peddle the myth.