Theo Walcott: Ex-Arsenal star has never managed to fulfil his potential but did his England World Cup call-up ruin his progress?
Everton star Theo Walcott is now 30-years-old but questions remain about his form and consistency despite bursting onto the scene aged 16.
A twelve season spell at Arsenal yielded two FA Cups but he has netted just 65 Premier League goals – around 5.4 per season.
9Walcott has struggled for consistency at EvertonCurrently yet to play 90 minutes in 2019 and with just three goals and two assists all season, it’s fair to say he is once again failing to deliver.Signed for around 20million, Walcott is not fulfilling expectations for someone who had joined for such a sum and it is perhaps the story of his career – plenty of potential but little end product.talkSPORT.com looks at why this situation has come about. The joke doing the rounds on social media at full-time of Evertons 3-1 loss to Wolves last month, was that the stray black cat, which had curiously made its way onto the pitch at Goodison Park, had done more running then Walcott.Ironic cheers of sign him up rang across the stadium from the home fans. In all fairness, the feline had covered considerable ground in his five minute cameo.
9A stray cat ran onto the Goodison Park pitchComparisons with an intrepid moggy are a reflection of the crossroads in which Walcott finds himself at once more in his career, one he has seemingly failed to make his way over time and time again.Back in 2006, then 17, Walcott had locked his phone away; he did not want any distractions as he concentrated on the theory section of his driving test.This proved to be a wise decision, as when he did eventually retrieve it, there was numerous messages, congratulating him on his inclusion by Sven Goran Eriksson in Englands squad for the World Cup in Germany. This was not a hoax.
9Walcott never made it off the bench in 2006I was shocked and surprised as everyone was; my eyes were just popping out of my head, said Walcott at the time. My first thoughts were that I can’t believe this is true. First the move to Arsenal and then this, it is unbelievable.Most players don’t get to go to a World Cup – I’m the lucky one. Becoming England’s youngest player would be something special.Walcott did not feature once. Instead he sat on the bench, watching on like a fan who had been chosen at random. A camcorder and sun cream were used more often than his boots.“I watched back footage I had filmed, honestly it showed how young I was and how inexperienced I was and how out of place I was. I was a kid in a man’s game,” he said in a recent interview with Gary Lineker.The notorious WAG era had been ushered in. Walcott and his girlfriend had been unwittingly thrust into the limelight.In his autobiography, Steven Gerrad said, Walcott had no right to be there. The situation was absurd.
9Walcott applies sun cream in GermanyGerrard was right. Without ever having played a game for Arsenal and only 23 senior appearances for Southampton under his belt, the expectancy was enormous.And at times, he certainly has had his moments, performances that looked like delivering on that hype and promise.The composed finish for his first Arsenal goal in the 2007 Carling Cup final, that run against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final, where he glided effortlessly past six players before setting up Emmanuel Adebayor.
9Walcott opens the scoring in the 2007 Carling Cup finalA hat-trick in a 7-3 thrashing of Newcastle, two more in a 5-2 north London derby win over Tottenham. There have been others too.Only 14 players in Arsenals history have netted more goals for the club than Walcotts 108.But yet the pressure has remained, so too has that term; unfulfilled, it has followed him around like a bad smell.When you are cast as the next Thierry Henry, given his legendary No. 14 shirt, that patience, the understanding that time is of the essence, disappears.Following his brilliant treble for England against Croatia, Arsene Wenger, unintentionally, would do little to ease the weight of expectation.“Hes different [to Lionel Messi at that age] and I think he has more, the Arsenal boss said.
9Walcott netted a stunning hat-trick against Croatia in 2008“If you have to look for a weakness in Messi you would say it is his ability to run without the ball, behind the defender.“When he takes the ball to his feet hes like a Ferrari. But Theo is more a guy who has the timing to run off the ball and that is something that is difficult to find.It was hyperbole at its finest and this is no slight on Walcott, he, nor will anyone, be like the Barcelona star. For some, Messi is the greatest of all time. That comparison up against the majority is wildly unfair.A World Cup debut continued to elude him. Fabio Capello rang to tell him he would not be going to South Africa in 2010. A ruptured ACL in his left knee ruled him out of a spot in Brazil four years later. It is unlikely he will add to his 47 caps.
9Walcott inherited the 14 shirt from Thierry HenryArsenal have history with talented, young English players arriving to much promise, only to stagnate for one reason or another. Francis Jeffers was considered the ultimate poacher when he joined from Everton. Dubbed the fox in the box by Wenger, he never came close to realising his potential, a nomadic career followed.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, like Walcott, moved to the Gunners from Southampton. Direct and pacy, he too seemed to lose his way, never nailed down a position for any length of time at Arsenal.Henry once said of him: I’ve been watching him for a very long time and I still don’t know what he’s good at.Until a cruel knee injury ruled him out last season, Oxlade-Chamberlain had begun to show what he was good at. Progressive indeed, his move to Liverpool may have given Walcott food for thought.
9His time at Arsenal was coming to an end in 2017In some ways it was a gradual decline, Walcott realised his time at Arsenal, 12 years after he signed, was coming to an end. To say he had found his comfort zone would not be an exaggeration, a new challenge was needed.Football at Everton under Sam Allardyce is probably not what he would have envisioned, but it at least represented a change of scenery, a fresh start.In 2006, Arsenal was essentially the best club he could have chosen. The way it was run, the calibre of players around him, a respected manager who had a football philosophy that once yielded success, soon stubbornly favouring style over substance. They had just played in the Champions League final too.
9Everton fans have grown frustrated with WalcottHowever, as Arsenal began to consistently underachieve, Walcott, to some, would embody that struggle. The fact that Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and much of the ‘Invincible’ side had departed seemed to go under the radar. Fans needed a target, a focal point of their anger and they had that in Walcott. He was easy pickings, unlikely to ever complain, make a controversial statement, content with where he was.Walcott turned 30 today and once again finds himself facing the same conundrum he had at Arsenal.The same inconsistent, poor decision-making jibes are branded, criticism aplenty, only now he is no longer considered a prospect. These are his prime years, well they should be.The scars from that World Cup call-up were not apparent at the time, but its repercussions have been felt years later.
Kylian Mbappe next club latest: Odds shorten on PSG wonderkid making surprise move to Newcastle United England · Maio 28, 2019 Bookmakers have entered Newcastle United into the race to sign Kylian Mbappe after a flurry of bets.
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is to get his own show on Russian state television channel RT, the station said on Monday. will provide coverage of the UEFA Champions League
Football Extras: Mourinho to get his own TV show in Russia
Neil Warnock has named the perfect man to come in and solve Britain's political crisis - Simon Jordan. Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, slammed the state of UK politics LIVE on talkSPORT on the day we were supposed to leave the European Union.
Neil Warnock wants Simon Jordan to be Prime Minister after
Ian Rush believes Liverpool will not suffer in title race due to inexperience. "How do you get the experience if you haven't won the title since 1990?" Rush said. "It's that long ago I actually played the last time Liverpool won the league, which shows how long it's been.
Liverpool news: The one reason Reds will BEAT Napoli and
Tottenham Hotspur news: Mauricio Pochettino 'would love to return' to Spain return amidst interest from Real Madrid Written by: fpnews Posted on: March 9, 2019 Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he is open to a return to Spain one day amid speculation linking him with the Real Madrid job.
Tottenham news: Mauricio Pochettino open to Spain return amid
Dominic Solanke scored England's goal Callum Hudson-Odoi would have been in the squad if he had not been called up to the senior side as a late replacement. A lot was made of his lack of first team experience as he has made just 23 appearances for the Chelsea first-team. world tour ICC 2019: Spurs, Arsenal and Man
England Men's Senior football squad - The Football Association
Manchester United defender Phil Jones has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until June 2019. Jones, who moved to Old Trafford from Blackburn Rovers for £17m in 2011, had one
Manchester United news: Phil Jones signs new four-year
Keep up to date with the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and exclusives from football.london via our free WhatsApp service. Text NEWS to 07776197989 and then add the number to your phone contacts book as spurs dot london (case sensitive, with spaces) to receive daily updates and breaking news from Alasdair Gold and the team on Spurs.
Daniel Levy will not let Mauricio Pochettino join Man Utd
Maurizio Sarri has to make wholesale changes to his starting line-ups at Chelsea otherwise they risk not making the top four again, according to talkSPORT host Adrian Durham. The Italian has come in for criticism for his team selections such as where N'Golo Kante should play in the Blues midfield including from talkSPORT regular Dean Saunders.
Top 10 Shocking Disney Moments | TopWorldTimes
Jamie Carragher admits he would love to see Matthijs De Ligt make Liverpool transfer. De Ligt is one of the most highly-rated young centre-backs in world football and Carragher would love to see
Jamie Carragher won't apologise for celebrating Liverpool's
Pele has admitted he is worried about the expectation being placed on Neymar to win the World Cup for Brazil. The three-time World Cup winner has urged fans of the host nation ahead of this summer
Fan Gives Pelé A 'Reality Check' After Brazilian Legend's
PFA Team of the Year: Chelsea post article highlighting Eden
Two goals from Sadio Mane helped secure Liverpool's spot in the Champions League last eight with a 3-1 win against a flat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. The hosts arguably had the upper hand after the first leg finished goalless at Anfield but Mane's exquisite chip on 26 minutes put Jurgen Klopp's men in charge.
Bayern Munich 1-3 (agg 1-3) Liverpool: Sadio Mane double
FSG, Jurgen Klopp and the eight-year perfect marriage which has Liverpool on brink of something very special. It has been some eight-year journey for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp
The image - 'Manchester United 😔' was posted by
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford reveals he's always looked up to Man City's Raheem Sterling Manchester Evening News 15:23 29-May-19 What Matthijs de Ligt said about Marcus Rashford resurfaces amid Manchester United speculation Manchester Evening News 14:12 29-May-19
Transfer Talk: Barcelona make Man United's Rashford top target
0 Comments