On Wednesday, Theo Walcott left Arsenal to complete a permanent transfer to Everton, after almost 12 years at the club. We’re looking at how much his North London spell cost.

Arsenal originally signed Walcott as a 16-year-old back in 2006. According to the figures provided by BBC Sport, he only cost an initial £5m, but rising to £12.5m. In 2008, the two clubs agreed an early settlement, after Southampton suffered financial difficulties.

The final figure was around £9.1m, according to the Telegraph. Arsenal paid £5m initially, £2m in further instalments, an immediate payment of £1.6m in 2008 and another £500,000 later that year.

According to the Telegraph, Walcott’s original wages at the club were £30,000-a-week. That’s after he signed a professional contract on his 17th birthday (16th March 2006). Before that, there’s no record of how much he was paid. We can assume two months as an under-17 only earned him negligible amounts.

Theo walcott bate borisov 2
Theo Walcott

After that, it was over three years until the winger renewed his deal for the first time. On May, 8, 2009, the Gunners announced he’d signed a new deal. The Guardian reported that the contract was worth £60,000-a-week.

Walcott then signed another extension on 17th January 2013. The BBC report his wages increased to £100,000-a-week, and he also earned a £3m signing-on bonus.

On 31st July 2015, Walcott signed his final Arsenal contract extension. According to figures from the Guardian at the time, his wages went up to £140,000-a-week. However, more recent reports suggest the winger was actually only on £110,000-a-week.

Even the Guardian themselves now quote £110,000-a-week as his final Arsenal wage. I think it’s safe to assume that’s the correct figure. He remained on these wages until leaving for Everton.

The transfer to the Toffees on 17th January 2018 represents the only incoming fees on the list. The BBC report that the fee is £20m. Although there might be add-ons, there are no reliable reports on what they might be, and for now we can assume £20m is all that Everton have paid.

Summary and overall cost

  • 20th January 2006 – £9.1m transfer fee.
  • 16th March 2006 – 8th May 2009 (164 weeks) – £30,000-a-week. £4.92m total.
  • 8th May 2009 – 17th January 2013 (193 weeks) – £60,000-a-week. £11.58m total.
  • 17th January 2013 – £3m signing bonus.
  • 17th January 2013 – 31st July 2015 (132 weeks) – £100,000-a-week. £13.20m total.
  • 31st July 2015 – 17th January 2018 (128 weeks) – £110,000-a-week. £14.08m total.
  • 17th January 2018 – £20m transfer fee.

Adding up all those fees, Theo Walcott cost Arsenal £55.88m, and they recovered £20m from his sale. A total net cost to the club of £35.88m, for his 397 appearances and 108 goals.

For those who are interested, that’s £90,378 per appearance, or £332,222 per goal. You can make your own minds up over whether that’s value for money.