Arsène Wenger has rejected the suggestion from Ian Wright that Theo Walcott should leave the club, responding that the 28-year-old’s time will come.
Walcott put in a less-than-impressive performance in mid-week against Norwich, leading to some pundits, such as Arsenal legend Ian Wright, to question if he might be better off moving on.Wenger doesn’t agree, however.
Wenger on Ian Wright suggesting Walcott should leave: "I don't want Theo to move on. His time in the Premier League will come."
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) October 26, 2017
On the one hand, Walcott is 28 years old and still doesn’t seem to be guaranteed a starting place. That could suggest that things aren’t going to get much better in the future and perhaps Arsenal should look to cut their losses.
On the other hand, the Gunners have invested 12 years in the winger now, and Wenger seems to think they may as well reap the rewards by keeping him for his peak years.
What’s more, at least Walcott’s contract doesn’t expire for another 18 months, nor is it likely he will reject a new deal if the club put one to him, in my opinion.
With all the players who could end up leaving next summer, I don’t think having the Englishman around as a backup isn’t a bad idea.
Besides, the winger hasn’t been all bad this season, either. He’s scored three goals and provided two assists in only five starts. A goal contribution every start is nothing to be sniffed at.
As long as he’s happy being on the bench in the league, I wouldn’t mind Walcott continuing to put in those kinds of numbers in the other competitions.