Just moments before England’s final training session, Theo Walcott’s frustrations with life on the fringes of the game surfaced on social media. In short, he snapped.
Walcott responded to a claim by former Arsenal left back Nigel Winterburn that the winger has been involved in a heated argument with his club manager Arsene Wenger.
‘I don’t normally comment on false stories about myself but reports about contract demands and bust-ups with the boss are complete nonsense,’ he tweeted.
Clearly, this is a delicate issue. Walcott then went on to contradict his manager’s claim that contract negotiations, aimed at extending his £90,000-a-week deal beyond 2016, had started. ‘There have been no talks,’ he insisted.
Walcott’s star has fallen for club and country. He has been unable to consistently force his way into Arsenal’s starting line-up since his recovery from a long-term knee- ligament injury.
Although Wenger publicly maintains that he wants Walcott, 26, to sign a contract extension, Arsenal will listen to offers in the summer if they cannot agree terms.
There is a lingering suspicion at the Emirates that his agent has already been tapped, given the nod that another English team will give Walcott the cash, the contract and the playing time to satisfy him.
This time, Arsenal are prepared to listen.
Walcott has not played a full 90 minutes for Arsenal this season and he cannot realistically expect to win a place in a congested, fully fit squad ahead of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Danny Welbeck.
Despite yesterday’s denial, his frustration with life on the substitutes’ bench is well known.
Roy Hodgson, England’s manager, called it a ‘dog-eat-dog world’, admitting that Walcott had little chance of getting into the national team if he is not playing regularly for Arsenal.
At Wembley, Walcott will be named among the substitutes after working with the England squad all week in the build-up to the clash with Lithuania.
Walcott has missed out a lot of international football over the years. Cruelly discarded by Fabio Capello on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, he missed last year’s tournament in Brazil through injury.
He last played for England in the World Cup qualifier with Ukraine in September 2013 and has only just regained a place in the squad after last season’s knee injury.
Hodgson said: ‘He’s been very unlucky with injuries. He’s recovering now, and coming back to the Arsenal team in the last couple of months.
‘He’s been with me in my three years without necessarily playing the main figure. Whenever we thought we could use him, he’s got injured again. Crossroads is probably quite a tough term, but it is an important few months for him.
‘You can see he likes to be with England but he has to satisfy a few critics and make certain: a) he stays fit and b) gets his place back as one of the first names on Arsenal’s team sheet. When he does that, he might be pushing (to be) a first name on England’s team sheet.’
Walcott misses out again because an established front line — Raheem Sterling, captain Wayne Rooney and Welbeck — have taken England to the top of their Euro 2016 qualifying group.
Walcott has made just 13 appearances for Arsenal this season and was heavily criticised when he failed to take his chances in the 3-0 win over West Ham on March 14.
Hodgson said: ‘It’s a dog-eat-dog world. There’s always someone waiting to take your place.
‘Sometimes through no fault of your own, you can be injured. But then your position, which had looked very secure, suddenly six months down the line is not so secure.
‘That is something all footballers learn to live with.
‘If you want to be an England player, you’d like to hope that’s an even bigger thing you’d learn to live with. In an ideal world, we’ll have players like Harry Kane coming through on a regular basis, upsetting the applecart and making sure people don’t think their place is secure for ever.’
This is Walcott’s life for the moment, a substitute for club and country as he waits for Arsenal to show their hand this summer.
Either that, or they will show the winger the door. – Daily Mail