Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is preparing to sell attacker Theo Walcott in January according to the Sun.
The newspaper claims that the 28-year-old attacker is not part of Wenger’s first-team plans and he will be sold before his contract situation starts causing problems.
Walcott has 18 months left on his Emirates contract and it is said that Arsenal will use the funds to buy a replacement.
The Sun also reports that Premier League clubs West Ham and Everton have shown interest in the player.
This news comes after it was reported that Man United manager Jose Mourinho was hoping to lure Mesut Ozil to Old Trafford on a free transfer in the summer.
A good move for Arsenal?
Wenger has given Theo Walcott every opportunity at Arsenal and the player has failed to deliver consistently. It must be very frustrating for Wenger. Walcott is reportedly one of the highest paid Arsenal players on £110k a week, but he’s never repaid that. He had one of his best seasons last season, scoring 10 goals in 28 games. The seasons before this saw returns of five goals from 28 games (2015/16) and five from 14 (2014/15). This is from a player who said that he wanted to be used as a striker by Wenger. He was given a few games to prove himself but didn’t deliver and has spent more time on the bench recently than on the pitch. Arsenal could still get good money for him and should move to offload him in January.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It would seem like a very sensible move on Arsenal’s part, but the north London club hasn’t always done the right thing in the transfer market. If they put him up for sale there are definitely clubs that would pay good money for him, and each week he sits on the bench running his contract down, the less he’s worth. If they don’t sell him in January then he’ll move into the final year of his contract in the summer – and Arsenal know what a huge problem this is after contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are likely to leave for nothing next summer.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10