Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger is hoping that his long term interest in Theo Walcott would yield a lot of fruits this season.
Many have called for the release of the player due to his poor run for a while, but Wenger has decided to retain his interest in the player going into the new season.
Theo Walcott arrived at the club from Southampton in 2006, and is currently the longest serving player in the team. The coach decided to back the player even in the face of doubts. He told the player to put behind his woes of the last season, which culminated in his snub for the English Euro 2016 squad, and show his true potential in the new season.
The England international scored just five goals in the 2015/2016 season, despite playing 28 Premier League games. The lack of goals when Olivier Giroud struggled in the second half of the season made supporters urge the coach to push the player to the strike force.
Arsenal started the year at the top of the table but dropped as they couldn’t get the goals. Theo Walcott once wanted to play as a striker, later admitted that he would love to play as a right winger. However, Wenger said the player could still make it as a striker.
Walcott scored in the last two games of the pre season against Viking FK and Manchester City as he partnered well with Alexis Sanchez. Wenger told the official website: “I’ve said many times that we will get a strong season from Theo Walcott because he got hit hard and I saw how he responded. He went through a very tough time not being at the Euros with England, and I observed him, saw how he responded and I am convinced that he will have a great season.” Wenger added that they were still in the market to sign an attacker and another defender.
