Most Arsenal fans had hope that the Theo Walcott contract saga will not be a long drawn issue and idealy the winger signs a new one and stay with the club for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately that is not the case and there doesn’t seem to be any resolution between the two parties. I don’t know how much of this is about the salary demands the player has but I would assume this issue is the sticking point of the negotiations. Apparently, the player is asking for £100,000 per week while the club is only willing to go as high as £75,000.
There is no doubt that Walcott is talent for the future but I don’t think he is worth that kind of money at the moment. He could be a great footballer when he has completed his tutelage under Arsene Wenger but at the moment he is still not anywhere near the finish product. If he leaves to chase the money, I am afraid he would have done a great deal of harm to his career which he might not be able to recover from. There are countless examples of young players who think they are better than they really are and only realize when it is too late. It is like the scene is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker is adamant about leaving his training with Yoda before he was ready. In the end, Yoda was right and Luke ended with his hand chopped up. This is the same for Walcott and the faster he realizes that Arsenal is the best club for him at the moment the better it is.
I don’t know if Arsene is trying to teach Walcott a lesson but the player has not started a single match since the opening day of the season. Of course, the manager currently has more choices in every department so it would be foolish for Walcott to think he is indispensable. In fact, he is probably the fifth choice attacker at the moment chasing the three available places after Podolski, Gervinho, Giroud and Oxlade Chamberlain. Arsene has already come out to warn Walcott that this situation is not good for either party.
“It can (change selection policy), but at the moment I still hope to extend his contract so at the moment, it doesn’t affect me. Of course at some stage…,” said Wenger
“If in April it (the contract) is not done, you can think it will be difficult to do.”
At the end of the day, the choice is very much with the player. If he wants to continue then he should sign a contract sooner rather than later. If there is still no deal to be done, then I am sure the board will off-load him in the January transfer window.
