Most fans would agree that Theo Walcott arrived at the Emirates with a massive amount of potential which saw him go to the World Cup with England under Sven Goran-Eriksson as a relatively unknown 17 year old. Theo did not get on the field with the three lions in that World Cup but it showed what people at the top of English football thought of the young striker. Subsequently, Arsene Wenger moved the young prospect to the right wing where he has played most of his football since.
Sadly Walcott has suffered from a large number of nasty injuries like hamstring injuries and knee ligament tears meaning that he has spent significant time each season on the sidelines. These injuries have certainly not helped in the development of the player and he has been a frustrating figure for many Arsenal fans as he has often flattered to deceive.
Last season he had ambitions of rivalling Olivier Giroud for the centre-forward position and the manager indulged him by giving a number of opportunities in the first team in that position but ultimately injuries caught up withn him and the experiment was ended. This season has seen Walcott moved back to the right-wing which has seen him return to top form. The player has already scored 5 goals in the League this season including 2 this past weekend against Arsenal’s recent bogey team Swansea City. This is only the eighth time Theo has scored more than one goal in a Premier League game which seems a small number for a player who is playing in his 11th season for the Gunners. Walcott has scored precisely 5 league goals in each of his last three seasons at Arsenal – a total he has already equalled in the first 8 games of the 2016-17 season.
Walcott’s great weekend has seen him installed at the top of the Sky Sports Power Rankings as his other team-mates Sanchez (3rd), Ozil (5th) and Koscielny (7th) keep him company. We can only hope that Walcott continues to play at this level which has seen him recalled to the England starting line-up after missing out on EURO 2016 in the summer, as he still has the electrifying pace which frightens defences and he still has the confidence of his manager.