Arsene Wenger has admitted that Theo Walcott’s contract situation might play a part in his participation for the club this season but has also praised the England international for his level-headedness.
Walcott has yet to start a game for the club this campaign (apart from the one against Sunderland!) after a summer in which he and his representatives played a dangerous game of brinksmanship with the club. They refused Arsenal’s offer of a new contract, hoping that the policy of not allowing players to enter the final year of their deals would force the club’s hand, either with an improved offer or a sale to another club.
With no offers before the transfer deadline, Walcott’s bluff was called and now finds himself in footballing limbo. Asked at his pre-Montpellier press conference whether or not the player’s summer shenanigans would affect his team selection, Wenger said, “It can but, at the moment, I still hope to extend his contract so, at the moment, it doesn’t affect me.
“Of course, at some stage, if in April it’s not done, then you can think ‘now it will be difficult to do’. But it doesn’t look like it has affected him.”
Of course it’s hard to know if it’s affected him as he hasn’t played much this season. He scored Arsenal’s sixth goal against Southampton having come on as a substitute and drew praise from his manager regarding his attitude.
“He’s gone through, at 23 years of age, a lot. A lot of positives and negatives. We are lucky — I don’t know what it is about Southampton but they bring players on, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and him, with their feet on the ground.”
However, Arseblog News is aware that there has been little softening in the stance between Walcott and Arsenal and, if anything, the two sides are even further apart when it comes to agreeing fresh terms.
Unless there is a change of mindset from Walcott and his people then Arsenal face the prospect of selling him for a knock-down price in January or allowing him to leave on a free next summer.
Whatever happens, it seems that, for now, Arsene Wenger is determined to use the players whose long-term futures at the club are assured, whilst not discarding the value that a player like Walcott might have until such time as a decision is made once and for all.
Replace him with Ben Arfa IMO.
Still our player. If you really want to hate, that club Tottenham have some.
Aye, let us enjoy the skills of Walcott. Until he inevitably fucks off.
Then we shall reign down upon cuntdom. That is class.
Little rat THEO has ensured we dont get the market rate but he gets a bumper deal from a club due to reduced fee.
Shameful.
Barfa has a similar knack for disappearing in matches as Walcott. In my opinion it was stupid keeping him if he wasn’t going to sign. We should’ve sold him in August for like 15 mil and bring in Adam Johnson for 10.
perhaps nobody offered £15m for him
possibly maybe most certainly not, no..
Perhaps suitors advised him to hold on for the 100k packet?
🙂
sell him
Walcott……another example of a dim player allowing an avaricious agent to badly influence him. Walcott should look at all the players that have left Asenal and ask himself how many have bettered themselves by leaving, better still he could ask the players themselves. From the sulk to Cesc there have been a dozen top players who have left for top clubs and I can’t think of one that has bettered himself coz most have definitely not no matter how good they were. Then again perhaps he doesn’t give two shits about bettering himself, it may all be about the dough,… Read more »
If he insists on the £100k – something I still find ridiculous given his efficient – yes but inconsistent shifts, i say we let him go for no less than £10 million. Started with terrific potential but has not progressed in the last two seasons. He may think he is top notch as an England player but the pool that Roy has to choose from is small, so Walcott is no more than a squad player in the Premierships top 8 teams.
Unless we actually know the figures, speculating on the amount to me is an excuse to call him greedy if he leaves!!
I could just as easily speculate that the reason he hasn’t signed is because the club are offering him less than what he’s currently on!!!
The simple fact is we dont know the exact reason why he hasnt signed!
Sadly we can’t really use the argument that players that leave don’t better themselves elsewhere, as there are starting to be one or two that have. Gael Clichy springs to mind. Not the best player ever, but he’s still managed to add to his league winning tally and increased his pay. Did it without badmouthing Arsenal too.
While I agree in part, from what I’ve seen he hasn’t actually improved but has joined a team that spent close to £1 billion on new players and so the chances of winning something, when you’re playing with players on 200k+, increased.
I suppose the only player you could really say that’s improved since leaving is Senderos, due in part to playing regularly. He’s no where near good enough for a top 4 fight and a first team place at Arsenal but is better than he was with us.
Agree with argonaut here. We may look back with rose-tinted glasses, but players have advanced their careers elsewhere. That doesn’t necessarily mean improved as a footballer. Gael Clichy was a decent player for us, he was never outstanding, we knew this. He continued this form at Citeh, but like it or not he has PL winners medal to his name. Same with that chinless cunt. And Cesc has joined one of the best footballing teams you’re ever likely to see in your lifetime, I’m pretty sure that constitues advancing your career.
I just can’t imagine what walcott would do to arsenal had he matured while still younger and been exceptionally talented like the ox. Had walcott been at the ox’s age (19) and already a regular with england I bet he would have milked arsenal dry. “I am a regular with engerlund and very talented, pay me what I demand” ………or would he even still be with arsenal? given we would never pay him those ridiculous wages?, I highly doubt it. To think that oxlade is on £25k a week right now when he’s a better player with even greater potential… Read more »
True in that he’s added medals and upped his pay BUT has he become a better player at Citeh?
Nope.
But does he give the slightest shit about being a better player or is he only concerned with how enormous his pockets get.
OX will play there this year, next year Miyachi will be the understudy and then gnarby.
Gnabry!
that one’s almost as annoying as carzola and se-chezny
Also, it’s “Miyaichi.”
I can’t understand their mentality, if he’s happy at Arsenal… stay, lap up the extortionate money and keep on smiling… otherwise, make it clear and leave. Quibbling between ridiculous money and a little bit more ridiculous is…… ridiculous.
Patients wearing thin with Theo. He’s being shown up by people who really want to play for the club.
Hi everybody!
My patients are wearing thin too.
Doh! The coffee machine is broken, forgive me.
Hi Dr Nick!
Can I be your patient?
wasn’t walcott in the starting 11 in the game against sunderland.
no
i believe we played the front three of gervinho, poldi and theo.
nope. Theo was on the bench at first. Front three to start was was Poldi, Gervinho and Ox.
oh, hang on, against sunderland. I was thinking of Southampton. I think you’re right. Silly me.
Yes, he started against Sunderland. Article corrected, thanks.
I love the edit in the article.
Theo’s deluded. I don’t recall any reports of a long queue of prospective clubs with their cheque books in their hands at the Emirates during the transfer window begging for his services. So how about we don’t play him, and offer him 70k next week, and if he doesn’t like it, don’t play him again, and offer him 65k the following week, and so on. Theo needs to realise that he just isn’t a > 75k/week player, In fact, 75k/week is more than generous imo, and if he doesn’t like it, he should be told that he can take his… Read more »
Apparently Liverpool want him, an he’s a Liverpool fan but for fucks sake it’s hardly bettering his career. An ‘Pool have shown that Daglish’s splurge has left them somewhat cash strapped, he won’t get better wages there, although maybe a good signing on fee. Boy’s being a dick, and his value to Arsenal decreases by the day with Oxlade and Gervinho’s good form. Impact sub for the season I’d expect. I heard a funny story from a guy that works at the club that we actually offered him to Liverpool as though we where going to sell then did to… Read more »
Might be even true, considering how understaffed Liverpool started the campaign. They must’ve been sure of getting at least another striker in, can#t imagine they really wanted to start the season with just Dodgy Divey Suarez. If we did that, fair play to Ivan, Dick and all the people involved!
Nobody has a cheque book anymore.
Hahaha. “Patients wearing thin”. Great image.
We need players who play for the badge and not for the wage.
Theo, sign it or walk it.
I’m not sure if using the team from 1887 would be a great idea, but that’s just me.
I wish I played for Arsenal..
I’d reject any big money contract the club offers me and demand more a reasonable pay of say… £3000- £5000 p/w?
Yea that’d be enough for me to lead a happy, minimalist lifestyle for me and my family, all whilst playing for the club I love. Too simple-minded? Perhaps.
ha ha ha….
hahahaha. If one thinks 3000 pounds per week provides a minimalist ‘lifestyle’, then he`s already out of touch with reality. Imagine if he were a footballer :O
But you’d probably get all big headed and ask for £5,500 a week! You’ll be just like all the rest of them, and when Arsenal don’t pay up, you’ll be all like; ”Yeah i’ve had so many great offers from all over Europe, like this one from Barnet is looking really promising”.
Spare me it Clock!
No you wouldn’t.
To be fair, that’s only a maximum of £240k a year before tax, so you’d take home £133k a year. That’s compared to the £1.75m Arsenal offered Walcott.
I’d say in the grand scheme of things, a salary cap of say £10k would be sufficient and would allow all players to still live better than most people (Almost £250k per year and then you would have add-ons).
The thing is ….Theo has a genuine chance of making a name for himself and actually becoming a player if he stays at the club (benefit of having a manager who believes in him and has shown patience and knows the ins and outs of theos game)….However, should he leave i have a feeling he will just disappear into being another average league player ala Jermaine Pennant, Bentley etc
This is just the way it is now, isn’t it? I’m growing very tired of princess footballers and their shitty inflated sense of self worth. At 29, Van Persie was on his final big contract, his last chance to try something new, and despite the slightly cunty way he went about it with that statement, in the cold light of day you can just accept it. But Theo Walcott? You’ve proved nothing lad. You’re 23. Sign the lucrative, generous contract, get your head down and work harder at becoming a top class player. You’ve got quite a way to go… Read more »
With such ironclad fan loyalty like this, how could he not sign?
1 for one choose to be optimistic and believe he will extend his contract.
We cant afford to lose Theo after spending the last 6 years developing him and whether people like to admit it or not he has actually improved every season and he’s a great footballer and would be missed.
Works both ways, surely.
Walcott has rejected numerous approaches from the club, why should we waste our time fretting over him if he’s not arsed to stay?
Do you think Sagna is that naive and stupid? I don’t. I think lot’s of friends/fans were asking him questions and then he went to straight maybe but he did not lie or act. And everybody else who left us are cunts? You will say the same about Wilsher and Ox in the future? Or?
Why should the mere fact that he hasn’t just accepted the first offer the club has made be construed as evidence that he’s not arsed to stay?
Van Persie was clearly not arsed to stay because he went to the trouble of publishing an open letter explicitly stating that he didn’t care what Arsenal did, he was gone. What has Theo done?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEVH6TXSI3Q
Spot on Billy Batts.
Knuckle down and prove you are worth it, simple.
Likely he realizes that in 5 more years his worth is going to drop at the same rate as his speed and he’s trying to get locked into those high wages now. Even he has said he’d be shit without his pace.
Sell him to spurs?
I wouldn’t sell anything to Spurs, unless it had some kind of contagious disease.
But I don’t wanna go to Spurs!
Let me help and send a clear message:
Fuck Off!
I couldnt help feeling watching walcott the weekend that he will leave and will probably get on a free transfer a 4 year deal with someone like chelsea mancity maybe liverpool……. But as sure as he does due to the fact hes a long way away from the finished article at City he will be loaned out like adebayour the other will sell him and before he knows whats happened he will have lost his england place and be back playing for someone like southampton on 30k a week. If he stayed worked hard and learned wenger would make him… Read more »
Probably, but he won’t improve. Doesn’t seem like he cares. Wants more money, and probably blames his poor performance on not being a regular starter for Arsenal.
Greedy.
Theo always seemed like someone who was a bit more sensible than your average player, but can’t help feeling he may come to regret this scenario. Certainly over the last year or so there has been a noticable change in his attitude on the pitch, blaming others for his mistakes and generally coming across like he believes he’s better than he actually is. Perhaps, with Wenger’s new focus on togetherness and team spirit, this along with his contract situation is the reason Theo’s not been starting
I don’t quite understand the clubs stance here, say we offer 75k and Theo wants 100k, that’s £1.25million extra a year, over 4 yrs that’s an extra £6m on the contract which we don’t want to pay, fair enough, but we seem prepared to write of 8-12m we could have got for him if we’d sold him last summer. It seems even more bizarre if we aren’t going to play him. Theo can be a frustrating player but to say he hasn’t improved since we signed him is nonsense. It’s quite the reverse in fact, he’s improved steadily each year,… Read more »
I think it’s not only about the money, but also showing that Arsenal FC is in charge, not one player who wants a pay rise every time his contract is coming to an end.
You are assuming there was an offer…
There would have been a field day for the doomers and Wenger out brigade if Theo had been sold on the back of RVP and Song sales. We’re still not over that yet, but with each good performance those sales makes more sense. However, the feeling amongst a fairly big proportion of fans at the start of the season was that we are heading into oblivion, and that feeling would have magnified a million fold by selling Theo (who would have taken the mantle of best player to wear the shirt etc). In other words I think we kept him… Read more »
I disagree with that. I don’t think there is anyone left over 11 that goes to games that really believes that Walcott is in any way a Premier League standard footballer. He’s a runner in footballers clothing which just isn’t good enough for this level.
Would be surprised if he extends his contract, im not that worried about losing Walcott although I don’t mind him extending his deal at all. What worries me more is that we don’t seem to be able to keep our players happy, guess its more about the economic point of view rather than the lack of silverware. Of course 75k a week is more then enough but I guess if he’d get like a 100 k somewhere else, doing the same thing, it might interest him.
Sign up Ox for many years ahead, he’s already better than Walcott anyway.
But what happens if in a couple of years time if Ox too refuses to sign the 75k a week contract??
We cant keep selling our best players just for a save a few extra £k’s a week
if we believe we are a big club, then unfortunately we have to pay the wages of a big club.
I hate using Cashley as an example, but in hindsight who can honestly argue that the club made the right decision in not giving him the extra £5k a week he wanted??? I mean honestly!
Yes! That’s the whole truth why I’m against selling players. If we are offering 75.000 and he wants 100.000 let’s find a solution in 85.000 ? And Arsenal can always sell him after that. We’ll have City and Chelsea and PSG for some time, still. They would always want him, they want everybody who can run.
I don’t like to read Wenger while he’s going thru 5 stages of loss:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/arsene-wenger/impossible-explain-van-persie-loss-063243582–sow.html
I am talking bout Walcott, not Ox, but it is possible to have this situation with Wilsher and Ox in the near future as well.
Theo must be deluded if he is not going to sign a new contract. If anything it should doubting whether to give him a new contract or not. He is not the first choice for England anymore and current behind Ox behind the pecking order. He is a good player but hardly irreplaceable. I would happy if he signed a new contract by January otherwise just sell him to the highest bidder.
Wish Dalgish was still around. Would have paid a fortune for Walcott.
Is the idea that he just wants to play striker, as he’s asked for every season, rather than his being a greedy shit, so beyond the realms of possibility? And I think he deserves the chance to show what he can do there, he isn’t suited to being a winger, and it isn’t what we bought him for.
Now you’re just giving him a valid excuse to use if he does leave. Because we all know that no player leaving any club has anything to do with money, ever…
Yeah some players, maybe even most, leave clubs for purely monetary reasons. But it’s a bit ignorant to assume it’s the only reason any player would ever leave. I a case like na$ri, it’s pretty easy to blame the money, but with Walcott, who’s always struck me as a pretty decent, grounded guy, and who’s always asked to be given a chance at striker, it’s seems kind of pig-headed to assume he hasn’t signed purely for a few extra thousand a week
I wasn’t being completely serious there, which seems to have been lost
If anyone, it’s Walcott who’s sending mixed messages over Walcott:
– I’m a nice kind of bloke/ I’m a greedy cunt,
– I should be played as an out and out striker / I have a composure of a shih tzu with a tail on fire,
– I shall dribble past every opponent now / note to self: much better to have a ball while dribbling.
hahahaha
Shih tzu with a tail on fire. Dude, you’ve nailed it.
😀
The thing about Walcott is that he is very fast yet easy to read in his game.
– Against better defenders in teams who actually attack us, leaving space behind and don’t park the bus, they will anticipate his moves so he won’t be that effective.
– Against more limited defenders he can run past, but that doesn’t help because the enemy team is already parking the bus so his pace won’t help.
I think he would be better off in a lower team where a lot of counter attacking is happening. Like Liverpool.
I think wenger is playing it right. fact is a player with one eye on a move in january is less likely to put 100% in, make that 50/50 challenge that the ox and podolski wouldnt even think about not challenging for. i like.walcott and think he WILL get better. just, if i was the manager id like to know my team is 100% to the same cause.
admin why has my first comment been deleted?
For spam.
Let’s not get on the Theo bashing-wagon until/if he departs, and see the manner in which he departs. I’d be sad to see him go, though he’s a little stuck in that purgatory between potential star and confirmed solid starter. Realistically I can’t see him play overseas, and he would be foolish to go to any other team below the top 4. So that leaves ManU, City and Chelsea. Of those three who needs him? The latter seems the most probable, but I doubt we could get much in January for a cup tied player available on a free 6… Read more »
Perhaps he’s waiting to see what offer Mercedes make for him?
I don’t get how players who are still young can choose to move to clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea or City. Yeah the money might be great, but as someone who is still developing as a player, wouldn’t you want to work under a manager who actually knows what he is doing? The only two in the EPL is Wenger and Ferguson. Our club and Man United are among the only few top clubs in the world that don’t shuffle managers every season, manage to compete, and bring through decent young players. It baffles me how players like Eden Hazard, who… Read more »
To all those that say they are not worried of theo doesn’t sign a new contract. Will you being saying the same about the ox in a few years or jack or you pick your favourite player. Losing a player as young as theo is a worry, personally I don’t rate him to highly but wenger does and despite wengers author in him we still can’t hold onto him. So before those who say fuck him he’s a greedy cunt like we do with all players that tend to leave lately, you could easily be saying the same about jack… Read more »
It is indeed disconcerting that not paying silly wages makes us more vulnerable to loosing players, but on the other hand we consistently both develop and attract good players. Currently we have a number of extremely good players tied to long term contracts. Meltdown is not immanent.
‘losing’ players. Space cadet.
@Voldemort losing players now and in the future is a worry but trying to match the salaries being offered at ManC and Chelsea would be daft if we don’t have a generous multi-billionaire to chuck a billion in our direction. One episode of the summer that I thought was quite poignant was the trouble ManC had in trying to offload Abebayor. He was happy to stay and never play because he knew that no other club in the WORLD was going to pay him ManC level wages. ManC and Chelsea will struggle to offload their below-par squad members while they… Read more »
Author = faith sorry
i think walcott fitted nicely in the project ‘youth’ team that wenger was conducting … now that it’s been well and truly shelved, i dont see him as being anywhere near as competent as our current crop of ‘experienced’ players … note that experience brings about a certain level of consistency as well which is another reason why this current team looks much more balanced…
He’s not level headed, he’s turned into a mercenary. I would love Walcott to stay but if he’s gonna insist on holding out for 100K he’s not gonna get it and he’ll be sold off in Jan if an appropriate offer comes our way. If we wait till the season is over we lose him for free because he won’t sign.
Interesting stat: “Walcott in 110 minutes, has contributed to more goals and made as many key passes as Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has played 181 minutes.”
Personally I think you can question Theo’s loyalty, but not his effectiveness. When used in the right manner, he can be devastating. And Wenger knows how to use him.
I I think denial makes it easier for people to grieve!!! Big black c is spot on, Theo is an asset, he was our 2nd highest goal scorer last season and he’ll bang a few more in this season and will probably get at least 1 goal tonite. If he wants a payrise let him have it, a long term contract doesn’t mean we still cant sell him, just look at Song. We cant continually lambast the club for stashing money, yet encourage them to not improve our players contract. Im guessing some would rather it went to Squillacci or… Read more »
I don’t think you are being fair to say some would rather it went to Chamakh or Squillacci. But Arsenal cannot simply write a 100k/week contract for a player who is patchy at best. It would be madness. Personally, I don’t think Theo Walcott is even close to being a >75k/week player. He just isn’t. Actually AW is being very generous – 75k/week is more than fair for the return we have had from him so far. He is a good player, but he is not worth > 75k/week. No chance. And he doesn’t get to choose who plays up… Read more »
You make a very valid point but i dont think Chamakh or Squilacci are worth even £40k a week but they both probably get more! The simple fact is whether you think Theo deserves 75k or even a 100k a week doesnt really matter, the sad fact is, its the going rate for footballers, even mediocre ones. As you are aware we cant force him to leave in January if he doesn’t want to, he can easily sit out his contract and leave on a free in the summer with the guarantee of a massive signing on fee and a… Read more »
I think Theo will go to Liverpool on a free. He supports Liverpool and he can do the job that Sinclair did at Swansea under Rodgers.
Theo isn’t stupid he knows his physical and technical level isn’t on par with his competition at Arsenal having already lost his place to the OX at both international and club level.
It’s often said that Theo’s one of our most marketable players in terms of branding and merchandise and that that’s part of the hand he can play in negotiations. My instinct is that here too he’s got more to lose than us if he leaves. I think the strength of brand Theo up til now has been based on his wonder kid image and also the fact that he’s established as an Arsenal player and is identified with us as a team. The fact that he’s getting older will chip away at his youthful image (plus the likes of Wilshire… Read more »
By the way he’s on the front page of Arsenal.com promoting the League Cup along with Arshavin. That I think truly says it all…..
It might not be just about more money. He might just be asking for assurances he will get played as a striker. Also seeing Gervinho play as striker must have irked him some and his people will surely use that to work him some more.
FYI – I think you’ll find Theo also wanted some assurance that he would be moved to his preferred role as has been more or less promised by AW several times over.
When Wenger decided to try experimenting with the ‘false nine’ system in pre season I’d imagine Theo would have been top of his list for that role. However the boss isn’t going to invest time into someone who could just up sticks and leave. But he needed a player to test the system so Gervinho got his chance.
[…] 来源:[Arseblog News] […]
“However, Arseblog News is aware that there has been little softening in the stance between Walcott and Arsenal and, if anything, the two sides are even further apart when it comes to agreeing fresh terms.” If your info’ on this is correct – and I am sure it is – can he not sign a pre contract agreement with a Continental Club in January and spin the contract down until June and go for nowt ? Paris St. G. with all their money are an obvious choice, Managed by Capello who – for some reason likes Walcott. Arsenal will be… Read more »
Yes, he can discuss terms with other clubs from Jan 1st. A sale in January in these circumstances would be very rare.
How many players has to be “homegrown” in a squad and how many do we have? Did we keep Theo because of that rule?
I would drive the little cunt to any club he wants to go.
If RVPrick wasn’t important enough to hold us to ransom, then this jumped up, one trick pony sure as fuck isn’t!
Fuck off Theo, we can replace you in no time at all.
Firstly, I rate Walcott. Frustrating at times, yes but pacey wingers often are but they can be a very effective weapon too. Secondly, why should Walcott or any player sign a contract with a lower pay than he could get elsewhere. Players are not fans, and even if they are 9 out of ten are driven by the same that drives most people: glory. And if that’s not possible, a shitload of money will ease the pain nicely. For some time Arsenal hasn’t been title favorites. Now, when we might be again (knocks wood) Walcott might be sensing he’s fallen… Read more »