Theo Asking Arsenal For £100k a week, But Does He Deserve It? by AT
After struggling to persuade Theo Walcott to sign a new contract last time around, it is really good to see that Arsenal have started contract negotiations with the player early this time. However, The Telegraph are reporting that the Englishman is demanding wages worth £100,000-per-week to extend his stay with the club.
After being sidelined for almost a year, Theo is now struggling to earn a spot in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven and rumors have already begun to emerge about his future, especially with Liverpool still said to be keen on his services. Despite this, Walcott remains an important player for the Gunners and Arsene Wenger has made it clear that he wants him to stay. But is he really worth wages of £100k a week?
Quite honestly, I would say no! While it may be important to try and keep hold of him, I feel paying that amount of wages for a player who is struggling to get into the team and has always struggled for consistency is certainly not worth it. I think that the English international should be doing way more to deserve such a hike in wages from the club. Don’t get me wrong, I want him to stay, but not if it’s going to cost us £100k a week in wages!
With Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck all ahead of him in the pecking order at the moment and so many other players who are comfortable playing out wide, I really do not think Arsenal should break the bank to keep Theo at the Emirates. If he wants to stay, he should definitely reconsider his wage demands!
Anurag
He gets more assists and goals than Ozil. He is definitely worth the money if poldi is anything to go by, poldi got more the moment he signed and how long has Theo been with us. The money really isnt the issue with me. I just want him to say hey im at Arsenal, i really need to give it my all out there and put the team ahead of myself.
Im guessing the Ozil remark is responsible. Ozil and Theo defensively are two peas in a pod. Both very good at what they do best but have deficiencies none the less. Im just pointing out that Theo gets hammered for his weakness but Ozil not so much.
I completely disagree, Ozil gets much more criticism. Theo is just starting to get that, after the injury. However, I think we must keep him. Pay him what he wants. He was very good at the Spuds game before he was taken off and before his injury. I have been speaking to a couple of friends who support other teams. When they talk about, our biggest threats, Walcott is among the top 5.
Top 5 threat in a team that still needs at least one quality striker sums up this guy …. Would sell without hesitation even if he reduced his wages by 20 per cent. …, don’t need this one trick pony in a team that wants to get to next level …. And have better younger options already as it is
An pay of 100k could be acceptable but if he wants more than that, its better of cashing him. we have players in tunnel to replace him.
fool
He doest deserve a raise, he hasn’t even played upto 30 games since his last renewal and am sure he had a raise then, if I were him, I ll be more concerned with ao to break back into the team
Walcott should leave? Imagine this scenario, Walcott playing for Liverpool against Arsenal in our next crunch tie, how comfortable will you feel knowing what he’s capable of on his day? Besides, we pay the highest ticket prices in world football but we are here helping the silent one [Stan] short-change one of our own players by denying them good wages. Walcott might not be the most consistent of players but he has shown up bright in some pretty dark matches for us in times past. I’d rather have him for us than against us no matter how inconsistent he might be, yes even at 100k a week, far less than what Falcao gets (over 200k) except you are telling me Walcott is less than half the player Falcao is.
I completely agree, we have to be one of those teams who keep their great squad players to win league titles. I wouldn’t mind Theo playing for another team before he came to us. But, if we let him go and he faces us, I would get worried. As soon as he gets to full form (and he is achieving peak age too) he is a star. However, if a team from another league offered us 40m or above, I would not overlook that offer.
Wenger is actually getting it wrong by not playing walcott, this guy is a potent threat down the right wing, sad abt his last season he was on his was to greatness, I think he sud play ahead of welbeck in most games.
But then, walcott hasn’t been playing like a winger since he came back from injury but rather as a striker wch has actually exposed bellerin. I think d coach can tell hm dat rather than benching hm.
Moreso I can’t but say he hasn’t grab his opportunity wif both hands, like le coq; if u wanna break into the team u sud try to score almost all ur chances wch walcott failed to do espcially against the hammers, if he had score a brace in dat match, he wud ve been our match winner in dat match and wud ve been back into the team.
lol. he has had bad games when coming on. sorry wenger’s spot on.
On the other note.. The speciality of Giroud is his movement is very complimentary to his physique. That’s why he is always in a scoring position. He is an old fashioned striker. He just lacks in finishing, for which he is improving massively. If he had taken all the chances created, he would have had more goals than Ronaldo this season.
And of all people u say wellbeck?????????
just pay him what he wants….
we have been underpaying our players for many years….
If Walcott wants reasonable pay that’s fine, but if he’s demanding more than what he deserves then I would get someone else as long as we don’t sell him to a rival or contender… There’s a few out there, we would have to start the scouting now if they already haven’t started thinking ahead…
But what if the situation arises, we mess about on the wage demands. Someone like Chelski (as much as I hate to say their name) or Man Citeh looks at the situation and grab him as soon as the contract stages are too late. He plays for them and becomes much better than he ever was for us. I would at least sign him up for more years and then if someone wants him, put a 40+ million buy-out clause on it. Keep him or his best years.
He was worth 90k? Yes. Since there were not enough wingers. He is worth 100k? mmm? Yes. But not sure this time around. We can get a player, non-English, at 15M for 5 years at 70k salary, overall it is the same money we spend for same quality. So all it comes down to if we need another winger and if he is ever going to be fully fit again. To both, my answer is yes.
Easy to sit here and rightly suggest 100k as obscene or too much etc, but in the football landscape I would have to say Theo Walcott (a double digit goals AND assists per season player at the highest level) IS WORTH that amount.
100k is a standard wage for an attacking player with his level of output at a club like Arsenal.
If a deal is agreed (I think that’s 90% likely), then good. If not he’s a significant outlet we will need to replace.
Cast your minds back to his showings pre-ACL and there’s a definite case that a fit Theo this year would have helped us to a further 6-10 points in the league – which could’ve made all the difference. Bottom line is he’s not an easy replacement, should it come to that, and we shouldn’t be so quick to discard him in as fleeting a style as the article suggests.
Easily the most intelligent thing written on this subject. His output is high, his wages are not extortionate. Let me put things into perspective.
285k – Radamel Falcao
Nuff said no? 100k is pretty standard for a player with high output. We are always looking for the cheap deal on wages, we shouldn’t scrimp.
Side note: We NEED home grown players. If we replace Theo, we need a new homegrown to replace him…which means getting a different English player OR replacing another position with an English player. Honestly, Theo is a threat, I say keep him and replace where needed instead. Also – he’s Arsenal blood now. Why ruin a good dressing room?
I definitely agree. Actually, considering the world we live in with hyper-inflated paychecks for footballers, 100k isn’t that much money for somebody of Theo’s class. Even looking at what people say about Arsenal pay scale would tell me that is about right – 135k for our superstars Ozil and Sanchez to (probably) around 60k for squad players such as Flamini and , 100k sounds about right for english, undoubtedly class player who proved he can score 20 goals a season (even if recently had his share of injury problems).
Don’t sell Walcott, he is Arsenal man through and through. Be careful what you wish for! He is one of the kind, and one of the best at what he does. It would be scary to look at him if he played for a rival.
Must be a lot of Walcott haters out there. Strangely though there are plenty of thumbs down, there are no comments saying “get rid of Walcott” or opinions as to why he should go or take less money.
For me, I am fine either way. I hope he accepts less, but he has been one of our best players for years and made peanuts compared to others at his level. Is he worth 100k? Maybe not, but neither are half the players around the world who make that amount.
Get Paulo Dybala and play him on the right so he can cut in a shoot with his left like how Alexis plays on the left and cuts in with his right. Bayern does it with Robben and Ribery, Barca with Messi and Neymar, and Real does it with Ronaldo and Bale… Lyons’ Fekir is a good shout for that role as well.
totally lets sign Pogba and play him at Centreback and Thomas Mueller as GK
Apparently we are set to meet Palermo officials next week to secure the £28.9m signing. If this is even true, shouldn’t we be done for tapping or something like that? This transfer is way too early. LOL. I love how the papers lie just constantly.
Yes the papers do lie, that’s a given. But “tapping up” is standard procedure for all transfers nowadays.
Clubs agree with the player and his agents on whether he would like to join etc and when they get the green light they talk to the club to negotiate a fee.
Dybala could easily have decided to join us or another (likely juve) in the summer. He can’t officially move until then but he can easily secure a move way in advance.
1.every season someone new. draxler, dybala ..list goes on
not fifa m8.
2. i was hearing a lot about how we shld get falcao last summer. yeah right.
I actually want Dybala, Lacazette, Fekir Shneiderlin, and Gaya this summer. Unrealistic yes maybe but impossible, no… Then again I might be asking for too much. Lol
I want
Cavani and Benzema for Strikers
Isco, and Draxler for Wingers
Reus for ACM
Pogba CM
Schneiderlin and Kondobagia for DM
Hummels and Varane for CB
Cech for GK
Yes it is realistic cause we can afford them…..
Always felt we’ve had weird timings for extensions and this one is bizarre to me. First of all, Theo definitely deserved his extension last time around. But why are we offering a new contract when he has barely played? A hike in wages should be warranted by performance and theo hasn’t really done much of anything. Yes he’s been injured but he hasn’t really earned more money without showing he’s improved. Maybe im just being harsh but im sure Wenger is considering the same thing. Dont want theo to leave but stranger things have happened
I love, totally love Theo Walcott.. I still remember the Judas’ last season, selfless Theo stretched defenses and laid assists upon assists for the rat! He scores crucial goals too. However, Theo is extremely 1 dimensional, thus making our Arsenal attack 1 dimensional some times. When that defense sits back, Theo turns useless. He can’t create space, & produce that bit of magic modern wingers produce to create something out of nothing. Even Welbeck more often, looks a more dangerous player than Walcott who has just limited his career to being an outlet or pace merchant with little to no technique or footballing brilliance. GOONERS, world football is FULL of young, exciting, pact, agile, better versions of Theo who like the OX will create chance after chance for us using brilliant wing play, dribbling ability and then Pace. So I say, IF and only if Theo shows any sign of not signing, sell him and get me Bellarabi, or Depay or even our own Gnabry who IS going to be better or for top talents get me Reus or Draxler or BALE! LOL. But seriously f@#$ Theo and his frustrating game if he dares to leave!! Just like Sagna, he will learn!
Walcott who for heavens sake have been sitting on injury room for the last two seasons?! he is worth even more but putting the former into consideration he is not worth any pay rise…lol..he must be reasonable.i think Wenger wants him to prove himself on the field which Walcott is resisting bcz he knows man city-looking to add English players and pay massive salaries and Liverpool-long time admirer of Walcott are watching…
Looking forward to the day Arsenal set up the dream team management similar to Ajax. Bergkamp already spoke of him wanting an Arsenal return. Thierry we well know is itching. Pires is already here. Id like if Bergkamp brought Overmars with him. Keown would be excellent to have around, breathe some steel into the youngsters. Gilberto is taking his badges. I havent heard Vieira speak of an Arsenal return, Henry says hed love it as theyv all spoken on the matter. It wouldnt be right without PV4. Freddy also would be nice to have around.
When i was thinking of an Arsenal management team liken to Ajaxs, i wondered maybe the Ajax team could be a good shout to take over from Arsene when time comes. De Boer spoke of how he wants to play the Arsenal way.
how many managers do we need?
10 coaches for a u16 or u 18 team????
why not bring back Petit, Keown, Adams as well…..
we need 10 coaches to manage 1 team…..
95 times out of 100 these are not even the reasons for the holdup. You’re just reading into media hype. Theo is probably worth 100 million, and he wouldn’t have a hard time getting it elsewhere. He was a legend last year after he got hurt and flashed 2-0 to the spuds fans, and people were crying that our season was gone. Now a few more than likely false media reports and he is holding the team ransom and he isn’t even that good.
He is coming back from an ACL!!!! I tore my ACL. Now I am not a sports star by any means so I didn’t have the same quality medical, but it took me about 18 months to get back to standard, and I still have problems today. I don’t doubt he is “match fit” but maybe learning something from Diaby, if we are sorted at the situation, no need to constantly run him out there when he can feature off the bench for the season.
And also, has Theo been anything but professional? Has he gone to the media about lack of time on the pitch, or about being underpaid?? Until that happens, stop believing the rags
Rooney had an ACL injury, he seems fine now though. We should give Walcott a chance.
I can see your point, but one guy tears his ACL and another guy tearing it does not by any means mean that they are healthy in the same time frame. It is a bad injury, people forget that point. For a guy whose game is based on pace……. I’d let that knee get back in shape, and I think Wenger knows that too. I’m not stressing about Theo too much. If he wants to be here, and we want him, he will be here
As a few people have said, he’s already on £90k. He’s obviously set on reaching that £100k per week milestone as it was the figure he asked for last time. Is it worth paying him the extra £10k rather than see him go and have to go through the rigmarole of scouting and signing another winger?
It’s not even worth considering his injuries as we know any player we sign will spend a decent amount of time on the treatment table!
I’d say keep him as a supersub, but he usually akes a few games to get going!
I don’t mind paying him 100k/week. I think he deserved it for what he’d done for the club (bar that incident where he kept club to ransom). It helps home grown quota and with weaker defense he’s going to score a lot. If he asks more than 100k then you know he wants to leave. When someone wants to leave that way then I say let him leave. Waste of energy to try and convince and in the end pay for what he asks. Seriously. He is having in tough now coming from the injury, he should know better. Besides, where to play when Ox, Welbeck and Sanchez are in top form? Some patience will nod do harm. For him and for us as well.
All will come good one way or another.
I can see theo going in he summer. I would like to keep him because in certain match’s he’s a massive threat and a lethal finisher. But way to inconsistent he needs to be a threat in every game playing on the shoulder. If he doesn’t want to sign for a reasonable price then I say £15mill+ sell. Add jenkinson to that and let flaming go. I’d like to see a ball playing CDM schnederlin looks to be the best bet and attainable. We need a driving cm rosicky esque, there’s rumours of kovecic he’d be good but I don’t know how he’d fit unless we sold or released Rosicky. But in my opinion we really need a CB and a ST but a flair striker a player who can change a game on his own take a player on. If I had my way dybala all day long. The talent there is insane.
YES. Give him what he wants, players wage should also reflect their loyalty to the club. Hes been around since 16. He may not be in form, but if Diaby is worth keeping, Walcott is definete must
I actually heard the problem was that we offered Theo a REDUCTION on his 90K the first time he was offerred a new contract…not sure if its gone up to the 90K for this time.
I think Theo wants assurances that he will play…as it will affect his England careear also if he doesn’t play
Liverpool have been after him for years..and he would fit in well there, and this is what I would hate to see, Theo in a Liverpool team
Up to this year Theo has always been a real credit to himself and this club…this year he does seem to be a bit moody and sulky…but that’s because he doesn’t play…Theo’s sake it would be best if he went to another club…BUT not in the PL…as if he does reach the potential that we all know he perhaps could, we don’t want or need him to be against us.
I personally would like to pay him the 100K ( Liverpool would ) and hope he becomes the Theo he was before the fated ACL at Spurs. But if he wants to leave, then make sure its to a non PL club or at least not a main rival of ours
Hi every1. It’s not fair to blame a player for his injuries. Most comments you make emphasize upon that. Theo is the most loyal Arsenal Player in our squad. The proof is that he’s still here and he’s the last man standing from the old Arsenal team.
To determine the true value of a player, one has to use the peak and potential of a player. We all know that Theo is one of the best forward players in the Pl when he’s fully fit. We also know that Theo prefers to play as a CF and look how patient he is with the club and look how long he has been playing out of position. A true fan loves the club and the players alike as long as the player is loyal to the club.
I would like to ask 2 questions to this forum.
When Theo is at his best, is he not worth what other players of his calibre are being paid?
Theo is a sensible and sincere arsenal player. What did he do to deserve all the insults that some of you impose upon him?
One more thing, is there anyone who can say Wellbeck is better than Theo? Why is Welbeck playing and Theo on the bench? Why is Arsene playing exhausted Sanchez?
Also, I think it is very humiliating to ask your player to strip off and tell him to sit again and I think Arsene did that on purpose. LEt us be fair and let us blame players for what they do, not what destiny bestows upon them. I wouldn’t let Sanchez play at the moment judging the way he’s playing. He was flying at the beginning of the season but what does he contribute to the team now? He deflates most of our attacks and loses the ball most of the time by dribbling too much.
It takes me 3 years to make 100k, so I always find these wage discussions a little hard to swallow…with that said, I’d like Theo to remain an Arsenal player!
You can’t compare what you earn to a premier league footballer, it’s two completely different worlds.
Theo is overrated like all British players. If the liver fukes are willing to pay 40+ for him they can take him.
Giroud is on 90K a week. Walcott currently is on 90K a week and wants 100K according to Telegraph. Maybe Arsene is pushing him out.
Apart from Giroud, and now Sanchez he’s one of our few players that (assuming fit) will score 15 + goals a season-
As such I think he’s very valuable, and he also provides a different option which makes the job of defending agaist Arsenal twice as difficult-
So I hope he stays. 100K a week is definitely pushing he’s value to the max though, and I suspect he’s performance / goals ratio when he’s back playing regularly will decide if he is worth the bucks
Rumours of a swap with Sterling, sounds far-fetched but actually a win/win for everybody – isn’t Walcott a liverpool fan?
Theois/was a Liverpool fan yes.
I would just pay up, his pace is worth 100 k at least, i don’t want any players to leave.
Off Topic, Afobe top scorer, Mk Dons Now Wolves, why did Wenger sell him, is Chuba better ?
Heard rumors he’s off to Nottingham forest on loan.
What’s happening to our youth players ?
People saying Wenger is being cautious with Walcott because of his ACL need to look at the bigger picture.
He’s being kept on the bench for one reason, and one reason only, the contract discussions! Wenger did the same thing last time, keeping him benched is not because of his recovery, fear of re-injury or for tactical reasons, it’s political, simple as that.
Shouldnt there be a reward for being the longest serving player?
Come on just give him what he wants!
The issue with Walcott is not wages. The question is who does he replace among the “core 15” or “attacking 6” in the squad. The players currently ahead of him (who Theo will NOT supplant): Giroud, Sanchez, Ozil, Ox and Welback (5)
(Mozart and Cazola are also ahead but are a few years older and tend to play in the middle vs. on the right wing, so let’s exclude them.)
Meanwhile, upcoming players including Apkom, Gnabry and any others we get in the transfer window could also supplant Theo, if not next season, then certainly by 2016-17. So, do we want Theo as the 6th or maybe the 7th or 8th option? Is he even willing to accept that role?
Unfortunately, Theo can only play right wing (and possibly flip to the left during a game); he can’t play in the middle (wrong build) and can’t defend (no commitment or training). For a team seeking trophies, he’s simply not a “core” option.