Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that Theo Walcott had no choice but to leave the Gunners after he was not assured of regular game time in the Premier League. The England international was frequently used by Wenger in the Cup and European competitions, having fallen down the pecking order for the league duties.
In a report covered by Goal.com, Wenger admitted that Walcott did not push through an exit, but the urge to play more regularly saw him join the Toffees, he said: “I always say that players who did fight for our shirt and fought for our club, you ideally want them to be respected. All our fans knew that Theo did not leave because he had any problem with Arsenal. It was just because he wanted to play and wanted to give himself a chance because he didn’t get enough games here. Theo is experienced, is a real Arsenal lover and is a guy who always respected the fans and the club. It was completely justified and I’m very happy that he got a great reception.”
Meanwhile, Wenger further suggested that Olivier Giroud took a similar choice in order to better his chances of representing France at the summer World Cup. The Frenchman had been comfortable with a bench role for nearly 18 months at the club, but the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang meant that he was not prepared to compete with two strikers including Alexandre Lacazette for a starting role.
Since his Everton switch, Walcott has had a good return of two goals and two assists in nine appearances. However, this has not been the case for Giroud, whose time at Chelsea has been largely confined to the substitutes’ bench. The 31-year-old has started just two of his six league games since February with just one assist to his name. Everton entertain Liverpool in Saturday’s Merseyside league derby whilst Chelsea play host to London rivals West Ham United 24 hours later.
