The Theo Walcott Dilemma

Good Evening Gooners,

A busy day today compared too the whole of last week. Main topic for discussion is Theo Walcott and his contract situation at the club. With Robin taking most of the headlines, people have forgotten that another key cog in the Arsenal first team is on the ropes.

Theo Walcott. We have heard his name so many times within the same sentence as the word 'inconsistent' and 'lack of a final product'. Yet he provides something only few players can. Speed. Genuine, mind boggling speed to be exact. Now I know many Arsenal fans wouldn't mind if he left, but I cannot claim to be one of those fans. He may be one of our more frustrating players, and when he is bad he really is terrible. But lets be rational people, he is 22 years old and supporters' expectations have been raised beyond belief. That is why I do not let myself get too hyped about Chamberlain. Last season was Theo's most consistent and potent yet, and he can only get better.

There is something about players like Theo that we cannot get elsewhere. He scares defenders. Opposition managers make plans to negate his threat. He is one of the main reasons we dominate games as heavily as we do. His potential speed makes defenders drop deep, which lets our players have more room in front to pass the ball. While that makes it more difficult to break through, it allows us as much time as we want to pick a pass. That is why I feel we need a creative talent in our midfield. Someone special, but that's another post for another time.

If Theo is allowed to leave, it would be a pathetic summer once again for the club. 2 regular first team players out the door is not acceptable, and would simply cause concern inside the dressing room about the direction of the club. Even if you don't feel Theo is as good as he could be, he is still a key part of our team and losing him cannot be beneficial to us in any way.

Of course I don't think he deserves a pay rise. And I think its quite cheeky of him to think that he can hold the club ransom. He is not a 100k a week player, especially when you take into account the way we pay players. I don't even think Robin is on 100k a week. He first needs to provide firm proof that he can be the player that he promised to be when we spent 10mil+.

Other news today;

Henri Lansbury has said that he is looking forward to breaking into the first team. I think he deserves his chance. Lets see how he fares in our other pre-season fixtures.
Carl Jenkinson has hailed the arrivals of 'world class' talent in Podolski and Giroud.
And Alex Chambo gives an interview to the Arsenal website. Exciting stuff.

I cannot take much longer without live football. Lets hope we get some proper news regarding Robin and Theo, I am tired of the speculation.

'Till Tomorrow.