Arsenal Legend Claims Arsene Wenger Should Have Let Gunners Misfit Theo Walcott Go Years Ago

Former Arsenal star turned pundit Charlie Nicholas has claimed that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger should've sold Theo Walcott "three or four years ago" amidst the current speculation linking the forward with a move away from the Emirates.

Walcott has made just 15 competitive appearances for the Gunners this season, a third of those coming in the club's Europa League campaign. The 28 year old has subsequently been heavily rumoured to be on his way out of the club, with Everton emerging as the frontrunners. 

However, pundit Nicholas, has decreed that such a move should've occurred a long time ago, with the Englishman's desire to play up front a stumbling block that has never been overcome.

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Speaking to The Debate show on Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Star, the Soccer Saturday panelist declared: "I've got nothing bad to say about Theo - people can pick holes in his record, but they got a lot from Theo.

"They never got the true potential that we were all waiting on, but I think three or four years ago we realised that was never going to materialise.

"When he wanted to be a number nine, he was never going to get the number nine shirt, he always had to play on the wing.

“I think for that last two or three seasons, he should have moved by then and realised.

“As soon as people like Sanchez, Ozil and all the other strikers started coming into the football club, his time was coming to an end.

"Arsenal became too complicated for him. They didn't know if they wanted to play the success story which was a nine and a ten, and then they got confused.”

Walcott is yet to start a Premier League game this season, with his five substitute appearances ammounting to a measly 49 minutes of action. With the possibility of increased firepower arriving at the club in the shape of Thomas Lemar or Malcom, his future seems bleak in North London.