How Theo Walcott Can Prove He’s Still Vital to Arsenal’s Push for Honours

Theo Walcott is fighting for his place at Arsenal. Despite signing a lucrative new deal last summer, he currently finds himself out of favour and linked with a move away from the club where he has spent the last decade. 

According to Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, West Ham United are the latest club to show an interest in prising him away from the Emirates Stadium.

Mokbel wrote:

West Ham will offer Theo Walcott regular first-team football in a bid to lure him from Arsenal.

The Hammers want to add to their forward line ahead of next season, with Walcott featuring alongside Michy Batshuayi and Christian Benteke on the club’s wanted list.

Slaven Bilic has an interest in Walcott and is preparing a big-money summer swoop.

However, for all the momentum Bilic is building in east London, a move to the Hammers would represent a step down for Walcott. For starters, they can’t yet offer UEFA Champions League football. 

He could be offered a reprieve by the news that Danny Welbeck will miss the start of next season with a serious knee injury, per BBC Sport. If Arsene Wenger was considering letting Walcott leave, that blow could give him cause for reconsideration.

Nevertheless, if Walcott wants to stay at Arsenal, he will need to show some improvement. In this piece, we identify things he needs to do in order to convince Wenger he is worth retaining.

Settle on a Position

Part of the problem with Walcott is that Wenger seems unclear how best to use him. The vast majority of his career has been spent as a right-winger, despite both player and manager repeatedly insisting he would one day play through the middle.

At the back end of last season, two performances from the England international seemed to suggest Walcott’s days on the flank were behind him. 

With Olivier Giroud struggling for form, Walcott was selected to start the final Premier League game of the 2014/15 campaign. He seized his opportunity in spectacular style, scoring a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion that suggested a predatory instinct hitherto unseen in his Arsenal career. 

That performance was enough to convince Wenger to name Walcott as his side’s spearhead for the FA Cup Final against Aston Villa. Once again, the former Southampton man delivered, hammering home the …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com