Playing for 90
Fansided

Arsenal’s Theo Walcott will be boon or bust for West Ham

By Rucker Haringey

HULL, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round Replay match between Hull City and Arsenal at KC Stadium on March 8, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
HULL, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round Replay match between Hull City and Arsenal at KC Stadium on March 8, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Theo Walcott will either be a hero or pariah for West Ham

If West Ham does follow through with a purchase of Arsenal forward Theo Walcott it’s not going to be an average transfer. Walcott will either light the Premier League on fire for Slaven Bilic’s club or he’ll find himself training with the youth by January. There is no middle ground.

The Sun has the story that Walcott will snub interest from Chelsea to commit his future to West Ham this summer. It’ll cost the Hammers a transfer bid of somewhere around 20 million pounds, but they believe they are acquiring a player who can slot into their starting 11 immediately. As such, it’s not an unreasonable sum by any means.

The reality is that Walcott will either end up as a 40 million pound player or a worthless squad member for Slaven Bilic. That’s the nature of the English attacker’s game. He can be brilliant with his pace marauding down the flanks one match, only to be anonymously forced off the ball the next. He’s been maddeningly inconsistent for Arsenal this season, which is why he’s available for West Ham to purchase despite Arsene Wenger’s affection for him.

More from Arsenal FC

It’s not a gamble I would make, but I can see the potential attraction from West Ham’s point of view. They’re in the market for a world-class target man this summer, but they still could use some more punch in their attacking midfield. Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini have been terrific for the Hammers this season, but Payet has been linked closely with a move to Real Madrid as of late. If he’s off to La Liga, West Ham are going to need to spend big to replace him.

Even if Payet stays, there’s an obvious advantage for adding a player with Walcott’s pace to the West Ham attack. He could really stretch defenses and provide both Payet and Lanzini with an appetizing target for their incisive passes. An attacking quartet of Payet, Lanzini, Walcott and a big-name striking purchase certainly could end up as one of the most formidable scoring gangs in the Premier League.

The trouble is that Walcott doesn’t want to play as a wide man. Even though his skills obviously lend themselves perfectly to play in that capacity, he still believes he is best suited to play as a striker. This is a nonsensical notion that Wenger hasn’t been able to get out of Walcott’s mind. Bilic will need to get through to Walcott to buy-in to playing out wide if the purchase is going to be a success.

Related Story: Lanzini convinces star to snub Arsenal

Even if Bilic does convince Walcott that he’s a winger, I still think there’s a significant probability that Walcott won’t be satisfied with his role with the Hammers. He’s a player who really likes to have the ball at his feet and Payet and Lanzini are going to have the lion’s share of possession for the Hammers. I’m not sure they can give Walcott enough time on the ball to appease his ego unless they convince the FA to approve the use of two balls at once. It’s easy to see a future where Walcott mopes all over the field for his new club.

Theo Walcott will either be lauded as a hero or derided as a waste soon after his arrival at West Ham. I’d bet on the latter.

Home/Arsenal FC