Alex Iwobi says he looks up to Theo Walcott, and hopes to add more goals to his game in the same way the 28-year-old has.
Iwobi hasn’t always been involved in the starting eleven this season, as he seems to be caught in the middle of the first and second team, to an extent.
Unlike many players who have only started in either the Premier League or the Europa League/League Cup, Iwobi has started in all three competitions. At the same time, he hasn’t been a regular in any of them, with seven appearances overall.
Alex talked about how the season’s gone with the Arsenal club website.
“I believe I’ve done okay so far, but I wish I could get more goals,” Iwobi explained. “Goals win games and I’ve had a few chances, but overall I’m pleased with my performances. I would like to play a bit more, but I have to be patient as we have a lot of world class players in the team.”
Despite some fan unrest when it comes to Theo Walcott, and rumours that the winger could be looking for a new club in January, Iwobi insists that the England international is a good role model for him. Alex particularly feels he can learn from Theo when it comes to providing danger in the final third:
“Theo [Walcott] is one of the more experienced players and he would know how to go about doing this, he still motivates the team and puts in a good shift in training. I even look up to him at times, he tells me what to do and gives me advice. Everyone is there for each other, the chemistry is there.
“He brings goals, chances and is an attacking threat with a lot of pace and he’s one that can hurt defences, so he’s very important to the team.”
Theo put in one of his best performances of the season earlier this week against BATE Borisov. Scoring, winning a penalty, forcing an own goal and setting up another, and it’s hard to deny how dangerous Walcott was on the day.
As for other important players in the team, Iwobi picked out the trio with contracts expiring at the end of the year, saying: “You don’t even need to watch Alexis and Özil. You just see the stats and what they bring to the game and for the team. They’re incredible for us and with them playing you always know we’re going to get a goal or a chance so it’s important for us to keep them fit and playing.
“Everyone is really happy for Jack [Wilshere] to be back, too. He’s had a lot of difficult times with injuries, but to be back playing and his full self and fitness, he’s very sharp, so we’re we’re all very happy for him.”
The players clearly know as well as the fans how key those three are, so Arsenal now need to work hard on getting them tied down before the end of the month. If they don’t, Iwobi improving his goalscoring record may well become all the more important.