Back in 2006, Theo Walcott was one of the biggest wonderkids in the Premier League and could’ve joined pretty much any club he wanted.
He was playing for Southampton – having come through their impressive youth academy – and had offers from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Walcott, 35, who retired last year, has now explained why he picked Arsenal, revealing he was keen to learn from the legendary Thierry Henry.
‘Chelsea and Liverpool were options at the time,’ Walcott, who conjured up 108 goals and 73 assists across 397 games for Arsenal, told Sky Sports.‘Manchester United came in very late, which I was unaware of, but to be honest my mind was already made up as soon as Arsene Wenger got involved. I remember going back to his place with David Dein.‘Thierry Henry was a player that I really aspired to learn from and as soon as I learned Arsenal were involved I thought I have to go there and play with him.
‘It was my dream to play with someone like that. You ask any kid who you get an opportunity to play with your [dream] star, you’re going to do it. It was an easy option for me.’Walcott helped Arsenal clinch two FA Cup titles in his 12-year stint at the club before he was sold to Everton in 2018.
Following his retirement in 2023, Walcott now works as a club ambassador for Arsenal as well as a football pundit.
In his role as a pundit, Walcott recently hinted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made a mistake with Ethan Nwaneri and has been too conservative with the teenage sensation.
‘He’s had a lot more experience playing at the highest level [than I did],’ Walcott said.
‘He’s been around these players consistently that’s why I just wanted to see a little bit more of him when Odegaard was out.
‘He’s different and Arsenal needed something different to get them through that patch without Odegaard. Odegaard is a magician and he’s not far off of it.’
