Theo Walcott has given mixed signals regarding his new contract at Arsenal.
The winger’s current deal runs out at the end of next season, and he says he enjoys playing for the club and wants to do well. He also suggests that things might not take long, although that he’s prepared to play ‘the waiting game’.
That might mean going into the new season without reaching an agreement, something which might make the club think about best to deal with the situation. The last time his contract was up for renewal, it wasn’t sorted until the January before expiration, but back then he held a much stronger hand.
Speaking after the 3-1 win over Everton, Walcott said, “My agent has talked to the club, I enjoy playing for this club so I am just letting them crack on with things and I’ll continue playing football. If it happens it happens. We’ll just play the waiting game and see what happens but I’m sure it won’t be long.
Asked if it would bother him if the talks went on into the start of next season, he said, “It’s not in my thought process at all. You don’t want to dwell on it, you want to play well and if it happens it happens.
“I won’t let that delay the way I’m going to be playing this season. I can’t let that affect me, I want to do well for this club.
“Maybe I should be talking about testimonial times. I have always played with a smile on my face, always enjoyed playing for this club. It is one of the best groups I have been involved with.
“I want to be involved with that squad as well. I want to work really hard and make sure I’m in that starting lineup come the first game of the season.
“It’s my first pre-season for two years now so I want to work hard and get fit. It’s a really exciting year for myself personally and I think this team can go very far.
“I’m always going to be judged on goals, I’ve been very happy with my goal record when given the opportunity. That is all I can do.”
So, clear as mud then, as it always seems to be with him.
I cant see why he would want to leave the club, We are on the rise and will challenge for the title this year. Hopefully he signs da ting before the end of the window.
Its interesting that our players tend to sign new contracts very quickly and yet ‘Theo Walcott’ dallies around like this. On playing ability alone I’d like him in the squad but we shouldn’t offer him any more in relation to our other players contracts. He’s no more special to us than them. What pisses me off is that it really doesn’t take that long for both parties to explain what they want, and compromise as far as they each can. When that position has been reached it’s a simple accept/decline decision – and he’s had more than enough time to… Read more »
we paid to fix both his shoulders and stood by him.
if he wants to go, just go now. don’t use the striker role excuse for more money.
Go on, tell us his *real* name.
Agree Eddie – points well made. Given his crap appearance record – and over the last three or four seasons it is just that given his proneness to injuries – ‘disrespect ‘ is what it is. ‘This Club’….well ‘this club’ is not just any club and the improvements on offer – even theoretically – are few and far between and for Walcott’s practical purposes almost non existent. Liverpool ? Money but no CL. City ? Not if they’ve just got Sterling. Utd ? Not interested – wisely so I would suggest. That leaves CSKA Fulham. But where he’d fit in… Read more »
‘When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, best to close your eyes and be done with it.’ – Littlefinger in AGoT This actually goes beyond disrespectful and disappointing of a player who arguably has not quite paid off the purchase fee we paid Southampton in 2006. But we need to throw away emotions and be as business like as TWE (The Walcott Embassy, thanks beNZed). In my mind, we should and can force this to close by end July. Here are the basics imo; 1. Arsenal is no more a selling club 2. TWE has taken much… Read more »
Your use of abbreviation is abominable. Please stop.
Who does he think he is? Teo Walcott? Yeah so what, ya’know what the team is?; it’s the sum of its parts and if you, T.W dont want to play ball, guess what? We can get someone else or, may already have the players that do want to play ball with the TEAM, it’s not all about you..
Enough already, get rid, save the wages and cash in…. I’ve heard that Gala are interested..(!).. Anywhere else other than the PM in UK. End of… Boring… lets move on…
He doesnt want to leave. He simply wants to play his preferred position, and his pay on par or not far from top earners. I understand. The club need to find the middle ground and accept, that with new tv rights ALL players will want a bit of that seen in their wages. After all we do pay to watch them. And with his position, i think hes earnt the right to play there. Wenger said playing wide all this time would help develop into a ST which he also said is where he see’s him playing in long term.… Read more »
Without making any conscious decision about it I am beginning to actively root against Theo Walcott. It is all well and good to want to play in your preferred position, but you have to earn the right to play first. To my mind he has not earned the right to play because, due to injury, he has not played enough. To demand to be among the top earners when you have not earned such a right is flat out arrogance, and the only reason the club are entertaining this is because of his nationality. If it was on playing record… Read more »
And the knock on effect of this, should we give in to his demands, is that every other player will look at his record and think to himself, well if he can get paid that much and not really have to perform, then why should I play for less (which by the sounds of it most of the squad would be on less than Theo – which is outrageous and would piss me off if I was the likes of Aaron Ramsey or Santi.)
Hasnt earnt the right? What? Hes played RW since hes been here learning his trade. Doing a job for the team. He has steadily increased his goal tally each season and was he not season before last top scorer? And even when he came back towards last season he scores goals, important goals and looked very dangerous. Now he asks to play his preferred position coming into his prime years you say he hasnt earnt the right. Bollocks to ya. I aprreciate hes had his injuries…but tbh so has all our squad and each time he comes back and proves… Read more »
Theo is just a very greedy person , we are all different people , thats why Arsene gives everyone the same time as greedy or not so greedy people . Look at van persie , a greedy bastard plain and simple , Arsene still said he was and still is a fantastic player , What i mean is it doesnt matter what you are, Arsene seperates himself from judging a player and just concentrate on football alone . That is very hard to do . You look at Aaron Santi Per Laurent Ox Jack Coq Mika Nach Oly . All… Read more »
Like others, I agree that Theo does not deserve to be paid like our other marquee players if that’s what he wants. He can piss off, if he thinks he deserves that much, and is willing to wait on it. We’re a different club in a different position now.
However, here is arseblog’s headline on this Theo story, and compare it to F365 (who themselves love a bit of agenda).
F365: Theo “happy but willing to wait”. Is their article headline.
Arseblog: Walcott on new contract “If it happens, it happens”.
Now considering most people form opinions based purely headline…….
Seems like pressure from both sides. Club wants more goals/performance from him. Agent wants more money from us.
Well make it happen you fookin twerp
Exactly, he’s making it sound like its out of his hands. If there was desire on his part, it’d be signed by now.
I’m struggling to see why you wouldn’t sign at the most exciting time of clubs recent history. 10 years of both parties putting up with each other’s inadequacy, when I finally comes together, you’re fucking around. Must be about cash right?
Sell him on!
“If it happens it happens.” What a meaningless statement… It’s up there with “more or less” — so is it more, or less?
To be cynical, I might play the waiting game too: wait and see if he stays fit and plays well consistently before upping his deal…
Right. And on top of that, it seems like utter deception in terms of conveying his feelings. If it happens, it happens. What? So you don’t give a damn if it happens or doesn’t? You don’t care if you get a new contract at a perennial Champions League-level club pushing on for a title challenge? Is it that guaranteed in his mind that he can waltz onto City, United, or Chelsea and be a major player with a chance to play at center forward? And you aren’t concerned enough for the club and the fans that have developed/cheered you on… Read more »
Well he seems like very “professional” in all this, meaning he doesn’t really love Arsenal, no emotional attachment here, but he really wants to do well as long as he is optimally compensated by the club.
I suspect Arsenal had opened the contract talk a long time ago, but he just refuses to get in to it to better his leverage.
Like someone said, a bit disrespectful to the club and to the manager.
Arsenal definitely opened (or tried to open) contract talks in the middle of last season – ‘We’ve sent a delegation to the embassy,’ Wenger said. Walcott at that point claimed he was too busy getting fit, or playing, or not playing, or whatever it was, to be bothered with his contract but promised to sign before going on holiday. Looks like he’s hoping to string it out for as long as he can while waiting to see which way the wind’s blowing. Will we sign a striker who’ll definitely be first choice in the centre? Will another club make him… Read more »
Anyone know the latest over/under for when he joins Fenerbache?
I for one hope that Theo stays. He could of left us for a a bigger wage a few times when things seemed low, but has always stuck around. Also he looked very sharp against Everton and at the end of last season, this could be his prime years.
I’d agree with him hitting his prime, and I think he’d have to at this point. That said, I don’t feel like we owe him for loyalty. Yes, longest serving on the club, but its not like a “I’m staying, just a matter of time” deal, it’s always a “We’ll see what happens” thing. Reading the quote front to back, I don’t think he really meant that much by it, more like a “I would expect everything to finish soon” sort of thing, but dragging out this would only mean he wants more money. It’s not the first time after… Read more »
It’ll be so heartbreaking for me if he don’t sign the new deals. 9 yrs with the club, he could have been top world class if injuries didn’t plagued him. Don’t want to see theo leaving at all
Theo wants to stay
but Theo agent wants more money and more rewards
Dear Theo and your embassy …it’s time to pay back all the days of injury and sickness pay.
But
Arsene could buy Aubameyang and scare the day lights of Theo and his people
#meancomment!
Maybe that’s exactly the conclusion Wenger has reached – hence the 28m offer for Aubameyang which we’re allegedly about to improve on? If that doesn’t bring Theo to his senses, I don’t know what will, because we’ve got all the bargaining power. Aubemeyang might well suit our style very nicely. He’s extremely quick but much more powerful than Theo. He’s also younger, hasn’t been injury-prone and certainly won’t be demanding nearly so much in wages. Plenty of clubs will probably be daft enough to pay over the odds for Theo, and unscrupulous enough to verbally promise him the central position… Read more »
Agree totally. Also why does he always find his form around contract renewall time???
Walcott is not the player I will lose my sleep for. If he sign it will be better for him
Fuk me is he worried about his retirement fund?
Just sign the contract Theo and start working to reach that potential you have, it’s long over due.
if he and his camp don’t settle with us before the start of the season, sell him abroad.
His deadline for me would be the shield, and if he doesn’t sign by then, we start going to market. Like several have said so far, it’s a better deal, more likely than not, for him to sign than it is for us.
Can’t help feeling that he should be desperate to stay really. Hes at a club clearly on the rise, who looked after him through a nasty injury. Couldn’t see him getting much game time at another top four club personally. I do like the guy though and hope he commits properly this time, not another 3 year deal where he can push the price up again afterwards.
I actually think Theo isn’t signing as he probably knows through his agent that we a sniffing around for a big name striker aka Lewandowski / Benzema. What’s the point in signing if he’s never going to play as a CF? Fair play to him but we should sort this all out before the season starts. No need to let him go on a free.
Don’t get us wrong, we enjoy odd the optimistic spin every so often, but…
I just feel like why hasn’t he signed yet if he is intending to do so. Best solution for him is to either get a bumper salary (100k+) and stay as a squad player at Arsenal or leave on a bosman and get that bumper salary anyways. For the club, we view him as a 1st team squad player so won’t budge from his current offer. Once Welbeck is fit, i doubt you’ll see Theo get a sniff at playing CF. Also, you can only play one between Sanchez and Theo in terms of balance to the lineup. I would… Read more »
He looks happy, based on what I’ve seen (his celebrations and his attitude with the current crop of lads), he looks content. Hope it’s enough, I like Walcott, it’d be a shame to see him go.
If he doesn’t sign the deal I’ll be disappointed but hopeful we can go out and spend what we need to on a worthy replacement.
Feel quite patient on this one as we are only getting better and better.
Ugh, whatever. Good luck theo
I get it, he’s weighing his options. But If Raheem Sterling can net £49 million, I’m sure Theo would get a nice haul to offset the purchase of another top-flight scoring option, as well.
This is his side that chafes us.. the same side that writes an autobiography before being able to grow a proper beard.. under the hypnotic spell of money grubbing agents I guess.
I’d like to see how well he does for the first half of the season. He would be essentially be playing for improved wages. Last time that happened, he was getting goals almost every time he was on the pitch. We have options on the wing but it would be nice to have Theo banging them in for us. I wouldn’t mind if we gave him better terms. It would be better if he’s our top goal scorer and we’re top of the league by the new year when we give it to him.
In six months he is free to negotiate terms on a free transfer. I know cash isn’t everything, but with Sterling going for 49 mil I’d imagine Feo is a worth a fair bit right now. If he isn’t going to commit to a transfer before the season kicks off, I’d rather we flog him for top dollar and use the cash to reinvest. I’d prefer him to stay but I’m not that phased about it. I think we have players with similar attributes in Ox and Gnabry…
And far better attitudes, imo.
He can fuck off. He either wants to be a GOONER or he doesn’t. Sick of this shit perhaps it’s no coincidence that he’s hit form again while talks are ongoing.
I can’t see him leaving to be honest, yes his playing time is restricted, but I felt he was more likely to leave the last time around than now. I’m actually really excited about what a fit Theo Walcott with a full pre-season will be. On his day over the last couple of seasons he has been excellent, so this could really be his year. Another player that I’m sure is going to have a great season is the Ox, looked really sharp against Everton. If he can find form early on and have a consistent injury free run it… Read more »
This needs to be sorted soon so that the club can focus on more important things.
Like what? Can’t the club do more than one thing at a time?
Anyone else get the feeling that this aubameyang hot air waffle is Arsene behind the scenes trying to light a fire beneath walcott’s backside?
Hoping it works. However I find all this posturing a bit disrespectful to both the club and the fans.
Take a leaf out of berahinho’s book and fire your tinkering agent theo.
Sign the damn paper you nutcase. You’re at the arsenal.
Ha ha. Well said Piggyslasher. Well said.
“…Always enjoyed playing for this club.
It is one of the best groups I have
been involved with.”
Cant fault the guy… He used to line up with Van Cunty, Samir No-chin, Adebayor, Gallas, and the snake now in blue…
And now he’s got Alexis, Santi, Ozil, Per, Bellerin… Much better players and much lesser cunts.
I’d be excited too.
Just as I’ll sign da ting! Theo, you should do same. Else you might just end up in a line up with Kolo, Skrtel, Henderson, Allen, Balotelli, etc. Your choice.
Something is fishy in his language. He keeps referring to “this club” as opposed to “Arsenal”. It is akin to an estranged husband calling his wife “this woman” as opposed to using her name.
Now, I might be reading too much into the whole thing, I however don’t see a commitment there in at the same level as Bellerin or Monreal, who just signed a long term contract and denied speculation to another club!
Is it plausible to conclude that he has been turned by money m?
Utter gobshite.
“…Always enjoyed playing for this club.
It is one of the best groups I have
been involved with.”
Cant fault the guy… He used to line up with Van Cunty, Samir No-chin, Adebayor, Gallas, and the snake now in blue…
And now he’s got Alexis, Santi, Ozil, Per, Bellerin… Much better players and much lesser cunts.
I’d be excited too.
Just as I’ll sign da ting! Theo, you should do same. Else you might just end up in a line up with Kolo, Skrtel, Henderson, Allen, Balotelli, etc. Your choice…
He sounds pretty ambivalent. It’s just a shirt to him, as far as I can make out . . . so to pastiche his attitude, ” Whatevs. ” Sell him on and get the Ox down the right or use the money for a decent replacement, we even hacve Bellerin and Debuchy that might be able to work down the right flank . . . it’s not as if Walcott is a shoe in for a central striker role. Who does he think he is ? Thierry Henry ? [ Who’s he ? . . . to paraphrase an advert… Read more »
Well if this isn’t the biggest load of bollocks I’ve heard all week. It’d be nice if he stayed but fuck, I’d flog him in a heartbeat if I knew it’d stop this shitshow.
I find the whole “this club” thing quite frustrating. Something so detached and “professional” about it. You’d think if you’d been at a club for 9 years you might have some loyalty and a real connection to the place, but its hard to get that from Theo. I suppose maybe it’s too much to expect the players to view playing for “this club” with the same passion a fan would, but it is a shame.
The issue isn’t with Walcott,
Arsenal are unwilling to up his salary,
That’s the Prooooooooblem!
That maybe true, but are you saying TW14 should get more than what is on offer or that Wenger is right for not acceding to that particular request ?
Whaaaaat? Coz he’s not on enough dosh for an injury prone benchwarmer????
This is what pisses me off about him, he taps the badge after scoring and then comes out with a statement like that. If it’s only money you want then stop the bullshit.
Not this again….If it turns into the same bullshit drama from last time, I hope they sell him. I’m sure there’s a player out there that WILL dedicate himself for the long term on the same crazy wages and score just as much if not more. Hopefully less injury prone and will probably track back better too…..
I’m not losing sleep over this. Theo will sign sooner rather than later. What better choice has he? Be an auxiliary right back at Mourinho’s bus park, grapple with LVG’s scatter brain “philosophy”, become another redundant former Arsenal player at the Etihad a la Nasri, pander to the Mersey side football museum under Brendan the narcissist, join the deluded scum down the road and play second fiddle to Harry Kane, or take his chances outside England where he will be treated as an ordinary journeyman footballer.
I’m sure Wenger has carefully considered all these scenarios and probably, so has Theo
I think the chance of him leaving England is about zero. Sterling is a 20 mil footballer who just sold for 50 because of the “home grown” rule. Theo is probably worth 30 mil to a EPL team, 15 to a team in Europe…
Sounds like utter, utter bull from Walcott. I guess you can’t hide your true intentions, regardless of the spin you try to put on it. Obviously a £££ thing from Walcott’s embassy. A serious £££ thing.
You get a limited time in this sport where bugger all percentage of people make it to the top level and you never know when some knuckle dragger is going to end your career with a bad tackle. Theo obviously has an agent who wants to milk the negotiations for all their worth to get maximum money for him and his client-which is his job. I for one do not begrudge this and it’s only in a fans world where we expect players to sign with no fuss. Theo has always been respectful and is obviously getting better and better.… Read more »
I don’t see stats saying he’s getting better and better. You have to be on the field to score goals…Increased performance and contribution to the team earns you a raise. Staying static, or not being able to contribute due to injury does not.
Well said, Rezatron.
Can’t hate Walcott for playing hardball in negations. It just shows he’s a bi-product of the Arsenal way.
I don’t see him leaving. Where would he go? Liverpool? … Can’t see it.
He’ll settle in with Arsenal but can’t blame him for his (or his agent’s) business acumen.
As a fan, there is plenty of blame to be levellled at his agent . . . at Walcott too, probably after all he employs his agent.
With this statement, fans will see right through him, he is a journeyman shill to be bought, if that’s what he wants, then great, may he get what he deserves . . .
Another Van percent?
I have a feeling it will come down to how much time he gets playing down the middle and to be honest I think it is his time to shine as our main striker!
Walcott is a good player. Irreplaceable? No. I don’t like the way he/his agent hold us down like this. He seems to me to be quite disengaged from the current squad, and in particular the English guys. I think on his day he’s a great finisher and as quick as anyone, but if he holds us down late into August I wouldn’t be surprised to see arsene sell him on and buy a superior replacement. Either way I’ll be happy, but I’d like a striker in regardless. I think it’s our most pressing issue. We’re gonna win the league !
Well if it doesn’t it doesn’t. The club and fans can play that game too.
Sign da ting?
His agent is doing his job. Theo is blinding and is only going to get better. He wants to do it with us but him and his agent know he could get huge money at somewhere like city and want to see that fact reflected in his Arsenal wage. I don’t think Theo and his agent expect him to be on a loony city style wage but certainty up with Arsenal’s top earners. Its a gamble on both sides but it is just a business negotiation. This sort of thing used to happen behind closed doors but now in our… Read more »
If the contract saga goes into the season basically two things can happen.
1. He plays brilliantly and scores a lot of goals. We’re left with no other choice than to play him as a striker and make him top earner to stay.
2. He gets injured and he’ll sign the deal we put in front of him during the summer (or possibly play hardball).
Either way it’s a big risk for both parties to keep this up.
No and yes Kevin. He plays brilliantly and scores lots of goals if he is played – do you see that happening if he continues to be a hold out ? I don’t. Arsene might not be the most regimental of managers but he has shown his mettle on more that one occasion when it comes to recalcitrant players.
For people’s such as myself
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/recalcitrant
In truth I genuinely like him as a player, he’s an honest footballer, never in the press for bad reasons and has huge talent…. However, he is yet to prove that talent year in year out, has never truly lived up to the hype that he’s already being paid for as if he has, and has been plagued by injuries while being supported by the club the whole time. For me if he can’t come out and tell us fans he’s fully committed and the badge means the world to him, then he’s no better than Nasri or Van Persie… Read more »
If he wants to be paid like one of the top earners he has to play like one. When has he put in performance like Alexis had? Not just for a few games but a majority of a season. Don’t get me wrong he has had his moments, which we all love him for. But the amount of bad decision making on the wings and refusal to track back and help the team over the years. I’m still not convinced. He can stay or he can go in my eyes
Think he might already be one top earner??….
Why should we cope without him? When he got back in to the team he smashed it in the FA cup. Last season before he was injured he was banging them in. A great squad needs a variety of talent. We would be silly to lose an established, well liked, fully integrated member of the team over wages. We’ve lost players before by being tight. I thought we didn’t have to scrimp anymore?
To be fair, the FA cup match was against a Villa side that didn’t play well at all. He’s already on 90k/week, that’s not scrimping. I agree that it would be a difficult loss right now. But as I see it, he hasn’t yet fulfilled his promise (an injury-free season with consistent goalscoring record) — given this, does he merit earning as much as the top players at Arsenal? Does he offer as much as Ozil or Sanchez? No — but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player (in truth, he’s excellent), but neither does it mean that his salary… Read more »
Why the thumb downs on this comment? Do y’all honestly feel Theo deserves more than he’s being paid? This is the same Theo who we used to cry over for his lack of back-tracking, poor tactical awareness, poor involvement in general play (expecially at a club like Arsenal where EVERYBODY should want the ball), poor attempted/succesful take-ons, and his constant injuries the club stood by him through… He’s not on the same level with Alexis and Mesut. And bar his goal return – doesnt offer as much as the Ox. If he thinks he’s very important and should be earning… Read more »
Keeps saying “this club” as if there are other clubs in the world. Cunt.
Suddenly everyone is an Oxbridge professor of Linguistics.
No, just feeling the words of Theo. And it feels like he likes the club but not that much to care about it.
Wenger shouldn’t allow theo hold us to ransom…sell him if he’s not renewing and get a striker. Arsenal is bigbigbigger than any individual. is a theo that plays well during contract negotiations, a theo that has spent majority of his stay with us injured. Rvp 2.0
Too easy..man city looking for more established English players, Sterling, Delph..more to come, ridiculous wages up for grabs, greedy bastard
I’d really like him to stay and become a #14 worthy player, but if he leaves it happens if it happens, fukit really matey bubbles, imo
From what I see Walcott doesn’t really love the club like the fans or some of the other players on the squad. I’ve never seen him go that extra mile on the pitch too. Don’t get me wrong he’s a good player and I like him and would love to see him become a great striker at Arsenal.
But he manner in which he dallies over his contract tells you that he’s just being a little too diplomatic for me. If he really loved the club he would have signed the thing long back.