Theo the man (boy) to step up?

In the aftermath of Eduardo’s injury, a big piece of news that has been easy to lose sight of is the momentous moment in Theo Walcott’s fledgeling career - his first Premiership goals for the club.

And the young Englishman has been speaking about his feelings on Eduardo and whether he thinks he can step up and make the second striker place his own. But before his own opportunity, comes the welfare of his team mate, and in the interview with Arsenal.com, Walcott expressed his thoughts on his Croatian team mate:

“Of course Eduardo has been on our minds,” Walcott told Arsenal.com. “It was a quiet coach ride home and felt just like a loss in truth. We had a couple of days off and then actually went bowling to keep our team-spirit up. A couple of lads went to see him yesterday and reported back to the rest of us. But we have tried to forget about it in a way and concentrate on Saturday. We don’t all want to rush there and then gradually stop. It will be more difficult for him in later months so we want to be there for him the whole time he is out.”

One man’s loss is another man’s gain in any case, and Theo is hoping that this time he will be able to get a run in the side which will see him progress towards the player he has the potential to be.

“I feel upbeat, I feel confident,” Theo said in the interview. “The goals helped and they gave me a boost so hopefully I can take that into Saturday. It was nice to get a poacher’s goal. My agents have told me I need more of those. Then the second was more about the kind of player I am. Left-foot too, which is something people have questioned me about. Now I just have to improve with every game and time will tell [if I can fill the striker’s role]. After all, the boss picks the team so when I do play I will just do my best.”

I strongly believe that Walcott can now prove his worth once and for all. A lot has been made of his career thus far, and a lot of it has been harsh criticism of him, from the moment Arsenal signed him in a deal of £5m, rising to around £12m based on clauses. The publicity surrounding him then doubled when Sven made the bizarre decision to take him to the World Cup but then didn’t even play him, and ever since every bad performance has been highlighted, whether by Arsenal fans or the media themselves.

Despite this I do believe he has improved as a player since he came to Arsenal, and idiots such as Stan Collymore who believe he should leave Arsenal and get regular football are wrong to say this is the only way he’ll improve. He has matured very well, and for any other 18 year old his position at the club is very good. He may not play every game, but he is an important member of the first team squad. Players like Febian Brandy at Man Utd and Ben Sahar at Chelsea are similar ages and are not untalented, but don’t get close to where Theo’s at in development.

He is the only option we have until van Persie is back, and who knows when that will be? Bendtner is too similar to Adebayor to be effective as anything other than a gamble as a substitute if we’re chasing a match. The little and large combination of Walcott and Adebayor may well prove vital come the end of the season, so everyone get behind him.

Is Flamini Juve bound?

 

This morning I woke up to the news that Flamini had agreed to join Juve at the end of the season. But it does not seem as cut and dried as that quite yet, with several confusing articles from various newspapers this morning saying slightly different things.

Firstly The Sun (not what you would generally call reliable) came out with the news that Flamini has decided he wants more cash:

MATHIEU FLAMINI is stalling on signing a new contract at Arsenal.

The French star has been offered a five-year deal and will become a free agent this summer if he does not sign. Flamini, 23, had agreed a massive rise from £20,000 to £50,000-a-week but Arsenal now fear he is set to dig in his heels for more cash. The Premier League leaders are also worried that he has been approached by another club. Flamini has formed an impressive midfield partnership with Spaniard Cesc Fabregas this season. And despite already agreeing terms, Arsenal may now have to increase their offer.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, reports on a story in the Daily Star that takes a slightly different take on it, saying that Arsenal think he has accepted an offer from Juve already:

Flamini’s contract expires at the end of the season and, according to a report in the Daily Star, his advisors have rebuffed Arsenal’s attempts to hold contract talks since the turn of the year. That has led Arsenal to conclude that he may have already accepted an offer from Juventus, with whom Flamini has been linked all season. Flamini was reportedly offered a five-year, £40,000-a-week contract before Christmas, but there has been no progress since then.

I really, really hope that the news, particularly the second story, is not true, as Flamini has been one of the keys to our success this season, and to lose him would not be a massive blow financially, but also to the strength of the team for next year. Not only that, even though Flamini is an excellent professional, if he has agreed to leave for Juve in the summer, his attitude towards the season run in may not be as good as it could be. We have seen the alternatives to Flamini this season, and they are not good at all in my opinion. Gilberto looks like he has now lost a great deal of enthusiasm for Arsenal, and he is not getting any younger either, and lacks the drive that Flamini has. Diaby, although we have not seen much of him centrally, definitely lacks the defensive capabilities to replace Flamini alongside Fabregas, while Denilson is a very promising player, but still does not have the defensive abilities of Flamini. That would mean we would have to find a replacement to buy in the summer, and there’s not too many players who are realistic targets for us who are better or as good as Flamini has been this season. The cost of a replacement as good as him would be anything upwards of £10-15m. Therefore if Flamini is just being greedy, give him the money, I believe at his age he is definitely worth the expense of a five year, 70K a week contract if thats what it would take.

The bottom line is: Flamini, stay here!

Jack Wilshere - Debut goal was “brilliant”

Away from the Eduardo injury, there has also been a good deal of other news stories about Arsenal that I could have posted about, although against what happened to Eduardo everything seems irrelevant really. Nevertheless, I will now try and update you on the latest stories around Ashburton Grove.

Firstly, Jack Wilshere has spoken about his goal scoring Reserve League debut against Reading last week. The 16 year old is highly thought of and his goal scoring form in the Under 18s this season has been staggering, with the poor run of results in the Under 18s coinciding with his absence from the team through injury.

“Neil told me a couple of days before the game that I would fit in on the left and I was so pleased,” said the 16-year-old. “I made sure that I prepared for it because it isn’t my usual position. I prefer to play through the middle but the boss wanted me out there so I was just happy to get on the field. I put extra work into my crossing so I was as ready as I could be. I was a bit nervous when he told me, and then I saw the team sheet with Liam Rosenior on it! But I just got on with my game as best as I could. “

“To actually score was brilliant. Nacer [Barazite] and Rui [Fonte] both did really well to create the chance and I just had to put a bit of pace on it and squeeze it past the man on the line. My Mum and Dad came down with some members of my family which was special. It was quite a big crowd, probably the biggest one I have played in front of, which gave me a bit more of a buzz. Hopefully now I can get a few more games at this level and ensure that we win the Academy league, then the play-offs and push on from there.”