Evening all,
I apologise for the late post, been a busy day.
The main Arsenal talking point today has been a certain Theo Walcott. Reports started surfacing late yesterday that he had 'rejected' the latest contract offer and that Arsenal were prepared to offload him for around 12mil. I would go into more detail but as of 30 minutes ago, reports have said that he has completed talks with Wenger and they agreed that he will stay at the club beyond this summer, regardless of whether he signs on or not. Both sets of reports are reliably from the BBC and therefore I am more inclined to believe them.
Walcott has a very similar relationship with Arsenal fans that Alex Song had. Opinion is very divided as he lacks consistency and a final ball. He often loses the ball needlessly and drifts out of games far too often. The player himself admits to these faults. But when he is on his game, there is very little one can do to stop him. His pace is frightening for defenders and his finishing is pretty good. Personally I would love to see him playing as a second striker. If he fails in the position he claims to be best at, then I will happily see him go. We paid 12.5mil to sign him as a youngster from Southampton. That's a hefty sum for Arsenal and he has yet to fully deliver.
The fact that he is demanding a reported 100k a week is laughable. He barely deserves the 70k a week we are offering. But this is all Arsenal's fault. We have to learn that we cannot keep dishing out these high wages to young players based on potential. What if their potential isn't realised? Or in Theo's case, what if he doesn't have much potential at all? I read on Le-Grove this morning that he judges quick players on what their potential is without their pace. With Walcott - how effective would he be without that speed? Probably not very effective at all. His technique isn't Arsenal standard, his positioning and off the ball movement isn't the best either. He has limited football instincts. He is an athlete turned footballer.
Yet I feel we cannot lose him, especially this summer. After the sale of Alex Song and Robin van Persie, losing him would be a hammer blow and a major downer. We cannot keep letting this happen. Liverpool, who have been out of top level European football for over 3 years, have recently signed Suarez and Skrtl to new long-term contracts. If they can handle it, we should be able to. I realise that different situations call for different outcomes, but something has to give. We cannot expect to challenge when we are overhauling the squad every season. With new commercial deals being negotiated for next year, stability on and off field is key. Winning trophies should be an expectation not a far off hope.
Other than Walcott, there has been very little news in terms of incomings. Arsenal are giving nothing away and I would expect things to heat up tomorrow, or it will be another supermarket dash on Friday. I would love to see some quality additions. Remember that players would have to be registered by midday on Friday in order to stand a chance of playing Liverpool on Sunday. Get a move on Arsenal!
'Till Tomorrow
Follow @RealistGooner
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