Saturday, October 12, 2024

Wenger: Confidence building in Walcott

Arsene Wenger has praised Theo Walcott’s impact off the bench after the England man clinically scored Arsenal’s second at Upton Park before providing a tidy assist for Santi Cazorla to finally kill of West Ham.

Having failed to sign a new contract before the end of the summer transfer deadline, Walcott, who continues to demand a starting berth up front, has been confined to cameo roles in the Premier League.

Touching on his treatment of the 23-year-old Arsene Wenger made clear he’ll use the attacker as he sees fit, stressing that the former-Southampton Academy graduate remains an option due to his professionalism.

“Theo has an outstanding attitude and I don’t rule anybody out,” said Wenger in his post-match press conference.

“If I did then I would not bring him on in a crucial moment in the game. I believe in him. Gervinho looked a bit tired and Theo made the difference. He scored the second goal and that is the most important one.

“He slowly gets there,” the boss reflected when questioned about Walcott’s striking qualities.

“You’re confident now when he gets in front of goal that he will score. Of course he scored an important one today at a moment where the game was a bit 50-50.”

If Walcott is to be confined to the bench for the foreseeable future he’s certainly a valuable weapon to have at our disposal in the last quarter of a match.

His pace against tired opponents and his usefulness as an outlet when the games get stretched offer the perfect platform for him to demonstrate his core quality.

Of course, if you’re to be the main man up front, you need to be able to do that consistently from kick-off….it remains to be seen whether Arsene thinks he can.

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Arsehaul

I reckon we should give him a full run-out in a Capital One Cup game, just to see if he’s capable of doing it for the better part of the 90.
His critics must remember how young he still is, even if he’s a veteran compared to some players.

Comedian

Well why should we disturb a good system just to fit him in?here’s the thing sign that deal then maybe Arsene will play him up there more often.
Why is that its always we have to compromise and Arsene has showed tremendous faith in his players only to get back stabbed.
If anyone says Theo deserves a chance to play upfront as a striker then park chu young deserved as well to get a chance to just play. Walcott was given chance last season to play as a striker in some games sorry but he didnt shine in that role.

roh top gun

Well said… I don’t want to see someone to be groomed into a new position at the cost of our team’s productivity just to see him fuck off to another club at the end of the season for a fatter paycheck… On the other side, if he signs on the dotted line, he’s worth a punt down the middle…

ETID

What a day for theo a great cameo at upton park then a superb performance on x factor well done theo!

Niko

It is sunday and we are being bamboozled by arseblo news!. Yes we are all a happy gooner family.

Wale

So you have nothing to add on the topic eh?.
Here’s an easy one. Walcott sign da ting.!

Matin

Anyone else saw that little kid on the telly doing the Shh sign when Diame scored? Oh what I wouldn’t give to be right beside him when Walcott and Cazorla scored in the last 15 minutes…

Wale

“that little kid”. Seems like REST VAN PEACE is following us everywhere!

Jomo

just sign! and hurry up about it!

Finsbury Park Gooner

If Theo leaves I’m going to be really upset. He gets a hard press, from everyone at times (including Gooners) but he has such talent. Personally, I don’t buy into this theory that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a striker until I see him get a fair crack of the whip. Sometimes people surprise you. And he’s pretty much always had a finish. Sign him up ffs!

Red Cannon

He’s magic as a striker when you play him in FIFA! 🙂

kierangibbs'legs

Walcott walcott walcott walcott
Sign da ting sign da ting

grumpy_gunner

Theo, if it’s about the football, then sign the contract and continue to score goals. Simple.

Ben

Sign da ting

victoria-concordia-crescit

I know people complain that Theo hasn’t developed, but the Theo of 2-3 years ago doesn’t beat that offside trap and then finish that calmly

ArseHole
Geoffrey

Wenger should convince walcot to sign a new contract.he is agood player,he can save the gunners at difficult moment.

ramgooner

let’s not get on this ‘sign the ting theo’ bandwagon now.all i care is for players who give a shit about arsenal. you look at chamakh and arshavin and you wonder if they are really here to claim their stake in the starting line-up or if they are happy with the 60k.it seems to me this season arsene is being a bit ruthless with his selection policy. let’s give theo some more time before we come to a conclusion. one player i am happy with is ramsey. his transition from bench player to a starter is classy and that’s what… Read more »

Voldermort

This Is going to get very interesting and ultimately frustrating for us fans.
Theo seems to be playing well when he comes on and if arsene does end up playing him and he continues to do well then he has the club backed into a corner. Theo is off in January that’s obvious, but will arsene want him to go as a player on form and yet another player on top of his game that we failed to hold onto.
Interesting to see how the club handles this one

Fatgooner

I’m not too sure that he’s going in January, Volders. I can’t see Chelsea or Man City wanting him. And Liverpool look a complete shambles right now.

As we are one striker short, there is no way that Wenger should allow him to leave without signing a goalscorer.

Voldermort

Agree about no letting him go mate, without a replacement it would be madness but then when did good sense ever stand in the way of a profit.

santi's panties

Liverpool are missing a striker… and with their history of *smart purchases* could actually be desperate enough to sign him 6 months before he’s available for free to please the fans and the press.

Frog

He’s off. If he was going to sign he would have done so already. Arsenes just playing him as a sub to make sure his value stays high enough for us to make a bit of coin in January. There have been some whispers of a proper striker coming in in January, and the sale price of theo could very well be a deciding factor. With five head stepping his game up, plus ox and Ramsey being able to play on the wing, jack and rosicky returning, cazorla can go out wide when needed as well. What’s that spell? It… Read more »

Rob'67

That was his best performance for ages, no doubt about that. But the problem is that does not put a run of games together with that form. True, he’s not starting. But that’s down to his refusal to commit to the Club. If he won’t commit to Arsenal, why should Arsenal commit to him ? This matter must be sorted before January 1st. The ‘I don’t care about the money’ is utter rubbish, as we all know. So if it is not resolved before then, we either get five or six million in January or nothing in June. If Wenger… Read more »

austingooner

Maybe he has a little boy inside of him muddling his thought process…

Stevo Goono

Where could he possibly go to play as a striker? No way he’s gonna play striker for Manure. Shitty or Chelsea, which leaves Liverpool as the only option, but that’s a pretty poor option these days, so don’t really see him going there, unless he fulfills the “you only went for the money” prophecy…

Borneo Gooner

What about our scummy neighbour? They seems to prefer signing our ex-players in recent seasons. They don’t scared to splash cash as well. So, that’s still an option but honestly, I hope Theo stay. As many of us suggest here, he would be a tremendous asset as super sub.

ETID

Cant see liverpool leaving suarez out of the team

Naija Gunner

Wenger knows what he is doing, leave it to the boss.

Voldermort

He may go to Liverpool spouting history tradition or project in the making. He could end up at city saying he’s after trophies. But he will end up playing one game in every 4 or so there and will be steeping backwards by going to Liverpool.
But it’s about money pure and simple and he will be off to whoever meets his wage demands in January.

austingooner

If he goes to Manchester or even Liverpool — where he certainly won’t start as a striker — that just proves it’s all about the money. Same bench position, different team.

Cygan's Middle Foot

Theo,
Don’t ask what a club cab do for you. Ask yourself, what you can do for the club.

The Middle One

giles

either he’s not very bright or just disingenuous-since henry basically any striker in the world worth his salt gets the space and goals from the wing,with the possible exception of higuain-you don’t see messi hanging around the d all 90-but thats because football has moved on a great deal and Walcott never noticed(for gods sake the worlds best goal machine isn’t even a striker!).Or else its just a smokescreen for money.Maybe he should put his head down and,er…learn a fucking stepover or to drop the shoulder.Twat.Playing on the wing for aeons and all he does is run fast.Does my nut… Read more »

coltgooner

Love to have Theo stay, but…
he is definitely more replaceable than Song/VanPursestring were.
He has great qualities but isn’t key to the team. Rational people shouldn’t freak if he leaves, but should see how good our team is that we don’t ‘need’ a player as good as Theo is.
All he is proving is what a lethal winger he is, not that our team needs him as a striker. His role on the team doesn’t justify more than what is on the table.

austingooner

Agree, but Song HAS been adequately replaced by Arteta.

mike

isnt a song after its finished sung? Alex Sung

Gunnerzed

I’m not hearing anyone with any ideas on how this problem is solved? It’s abt money and that is all. The wanting assurances that he’ll play up front is a cover story, it’s stalling. Wenger has played his hand very well, telling everyone that he will play up top and that he knows he can do it, always praising him. So do we think Arsenal should give in to his wage demands? Bcoz if we don’t then he will go else where like the other money grabbing little shits. It’s a horrible situation and Walcott could end it now by… Read more »

austingooner

Of all the clubs that COULD afford him, can you imagine him starting over their current strikers? Nope.

Glory Hunter

Its a very strange situation! we’ve developed Theo to the standard that he is now & just when things seem to have clicked for him, we are in danger of losing him on a free!!!
It makes no sense
We honestly can’t afford to lose him on a free & we can’t force him to leave in January if he doesn’t want to go.

So our only options appear to be, lose him on a free or give him what he wants!!

What will it be?!?

austingooner

I don’t see that he’ll get the wages he desires PLUS a starting spot AND the striker position anywhere. As I see it, if a club like Manchester City buys him, it’ll be as a backup winger or striker option, not as a starting spot. Could see Liverpool having some use for him as a winger, but they already have a striker that they paid a ton for… The only clubs that can afford him are clubs that have better strikers that what he has to offer as a striker. So what then, get paid more to sub on a… Read more »

Gooner95

i truly do not think Theo is holding out for money. He seems like a very genuine down to earth young lad. The passion he shows on the pitch for Arsenal is immense. However, he has a dream to be a striker and he believes that this is his time, and from what I have seen he may not be wrong. I think theo acknowledges that he will never be an amazing winger because of his lack of dribbling skills while as a striker he can just stay near the box, get reception, and finish. If we don’t give him… Read more »

austingooner

It’s pretty childish to handle things this way… smacks of bad advice from a shady agent. I agree he should get a chance to prove his worth — IF he consistently puts in good sub performances like he did Saturday, I’m sure he will get more playing time.

But I have a really hard time believing that IF another team is willing to pay him more than what we’re paying him, he’ll get to a) start games and b) play as striker.

northwestgooner

It’s wrong for Theo to publicly demand for the central role or even just talk about it the way he did. Arsene Wenger has to make decisions that enhance the chances for the team to win games, not to satisfy a player’s demand. Imagine AW has not brought in Giroud and Podolski, Theo and his people would have held AW and ARsenal to ransom. Theo said he just wanted to get on the pitch and show people what he can do. Well, that’s not for the team, is it? It’s for himself and his new contract, whether it’s at Arsenal… Read more »

Me So Hornsey

The “I want a chance as a striker” line is complete and utter bollocks IMO. In the modern the ”winger'” is more or less one of 3 strikers anyway, he’s had 3 full seasons as first choi e in this role and had just as much chances to score as the middle man.

austingooner

If he keeps putting in appearances like he did Saturday, he’ll get more opportunities and more playing time. Hard work is rewarded, as is consistency. Seems childish to expect that you can hold Arsenal hostage by demanding to be striker when you’ve yet to prove your worth. We know you have the potential, so sign the contract, keep up the hustle and see what happens.

Kazman

Sign the damn ting!

Sinchan

Walcott is a good player when playing from the bench. Arsenal need to reinvent their passing game and personally i dont think walcott suits that style of play.

spacktard

I disagree.

Giroud is the perfect foil for walcott. (As seen yesterday) He would benefit greatly from a player who holds up play and is as intelligent as our sexy frenchman.

I think Theo would be great down the middle when Giroud is not playing. But, he will score more goals when Giroud is playing, due to his fantastic link up play. And lets not forget the amazing Santi threading impossible passes for our strikers to gobble up all game long.

Lest we forget, John Terry is a massive Cunt and will surely perish from a nasty STD.

austingooner

I agree Walcott’s a good player from the bench. Gets too tired when he plays the whole game. He comes in with so much spark in the 70th minute… Walcott’s a good player, but he’s got Podolski and Gervinho and Giroud as our starting guys up top, and if this is really all about playing time instead of money, I don’t think he’ll get the starts he wants. Do think Wenger will give him plenty of 30-minute second-half opportunities, and if he does as well in those as he did at the last game, then maybe he’ll get more opportunities… Read more »

Simon

Theo has made his wishes clear, Wenger knows, we know and the vulture clubs know. Wenger will do as Wenger does and if Theo signs and has faith he will get his wish, I’ve no doubt. If he keeps trying to contractually force Wenger to play him as a striker he’s done. Come on Theo, you’re doing great trust in you’re boss it will all come good! Don’t be an RVPratt!

austingooner

Yeah, I really think his tactic is slimy (and suspect it’s probably his agent’s bad advice he’s acting on). I think he has a lot of potential, but you don’t get to dictate to your coach where you get to play, at least not at Arsenal. Don’t get me wrong — he’s put in some fine appearances — but these things take time, and you’ve got Giroud and Gervinho ahead of you, plus Podolski and Cazorla, who are all doing great as starters.

Jasonissimo

The only way we are not losing him in on a Bosman is if his camp is mistaken about potential wages of $100k per week, in which case he accepts Arsenal’s lower offer. In the modern game, player agents know which other clubs will pay higher wages than their current club and what they would offer their player if he were available. It’s an unfortunate state of affairs for Arsenal that there are other clubs that can and do pay more for top players. Our top players have been using this knowledge to their gain for years. It started at… Read more »

austingooner

For me, I think Walcott COULD get more money from one of the sugar-daddy clubs, but he won’t get the playing time he thinks he deserves. He’s so effective as a sub… But I can’t imagine that the clubs who WOULD pay the wages he’s asking for will play him more than as a sub… Or a solid backup option…

glory hunter

On that basis, its a no brainer really!
Be a sub at Arsenal or be a sub at another club whilst getting more money!!!

I don’t know about you guys but l’ll miss him 🙁

Pyrrho

Clear-minded assessment J. I think being a squad-homegrown, clean-cut England international might just swing those wages for him, but we’ll see.

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Rectum Spectrum

has massively frustrated me in the past. but his finishing is world class and we should give him his shot, try to sign him. on the wing his form irritates the hell out of me, but in front of goal he is getting quite ruthless with those finishes – very composed. i don’t think i want to see him go!

Gus from "Drop the Dead Donkey"

It’s wonderful to see Walcott stitching together patches of consistancy to make a veritable quilt of confidence.

Wale

Too many heavy words. Head bursting!!!

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