Theo Walcott has a fight on his hands to remain an Arsenal player.

It wasn’t that long ago that Walcott’s form was so good the fans were demanding the club rewarded him a new contract worth £110,000 per week so we didn’t lose him on a free transfer. That season, Walcott had become Arsenal’s key man; a player who had cast aside his reputation for inconsistency to score 21 goals in all competitions.

Since then, it hasn’t worked out.

We’ll never know what Walcott we might have been had a cruciate ligament injury not curtailed his run during the 2013/14 season, and it took him a good two seasons to get back to the sort of level we came to expect from him. Last season he scored 19 goals.

Now he can barely get a game in the Arsenal team.

What on earth has happened?

Last season saw a new Walcott, one that was more aggressive in his play and more eager to get involved. He thrived in Arsenal’s frontline, especially when Alexis Sanchez played as a false nine. The bulk of his goals came during that early season period.

But when the team collapsed in the second half of the season, so too did Walcott’s form. Then Wenger went and changed the formation, dropping one of his attackers in favour of an extra defender. Between Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott, there was only one choice.

That alone is representative of Walcott as a player. He was always a nice compliment to a good team, but never a player you’d build a team around. With that in mind, Walcott’s career has been very good: 104 goals in 385 appearances for Arsenal is no small feat for a wide player.

At the same time, it’s hard not to shake the feeling that Walcott is a totally expendable player.

Walcott is now 28 and it feels like we’ve seen everything we’re going to see from him. He’s hit his ceiling, and the only way from here is down. Fans now would much rather see the exciting Reiss Nelson instead, or a new signing altogether.

Walcott has been a good servant to the club, but the time has surely come to consider if he’s still worth keeping around.

Walcott’s contract, according to Transfermarkt.co.uk, expires in 2019. His next contract will surely be his last big deal. In my mind, it’d take a remarkable turnaround in form for him to justify a new contract at Arsenal. It’s something he is capable of. After all, many of us thought Walcott was finished in 2016, only for him to have that explosive start to last season.

Yet, at whose expense can he make that last hurrah? Certainly not Ozil’s or Alexis’, both certified starters so long as they’re fit and able. Danny Welbeck has seemingly moved ahead of him in the pecking order despite his recent injury troubles. Then you consider the futures of Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson, who need game time eventually.

Another change of formation might give him a way back in, but even then, we’re likely to encounter the same issues that have plagued Walcott’s career. You know the ones: the good scoring record that could be much better, the passive performances where he doesn’t get involved, and the frustrating limitations he shows whenever he does get on the ball.

Arsenal could do better.

No matter how I look at it, selling Theo Walcott seems to make the most sense for both the club and the player.