What is stalling Theo??

[Kano]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

where else is he gonna go to play as striker? pool moving suarez out to the wing? replacing rooney, rvp and hernandez at utd? taking the sole responsibility of chelseas financial commitments to the team, taking over aguero, balo, dzeko or tevez? replacing defoe and ade across the road in north london? shifting out ba and cisse from newcastle?

everton and wba won't be paying much but i guess they can develop him in to a 10+ prem striker.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

How often did Walcott play last season? So why would he suddenly be down the pecking order now? Leaving aside the glaringly obvious reason of him refusing to sign a contract, I mean.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

And they say Gnabry on what - 15K a week? (anyone know?) - is the next big thing? They said they were going to slash the wage bill. They may be congratulating themselves on delivering yet another self interested promise. £100K player, a couple of years in the squad, a few headlines, £10mill transfer as soon as the first wage demands come in.

Lets be honest everyone asscoicated with football are all in it for themselves. None of the give a shit about the fans. Not managers no, players and deffo not board members, Its been that way for a long time now.

Their all ****s.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

where else is he gonna go to play as striker? pool moving suarez out to the wing? replacing rooney, rvp and hernandez at utd? taking the sole responsibility of chelseas financial commitments to the team, taking over aguero, balo, dzeko or tevez? replacing defoe and ade across the road in north london? shifting out ba and cisse from newcastle?

everton and wba won't be paying much but i guess they can develop him in to a 10+ prem striker.

Spot on.

[Power n Glory]

@Terry and Niall

Wenger hasn't once used Theo as a striker even when we've had a crisis with our strikers or in cup games. If you listen to Wenger's interviews, he keeps saying Walcott's future is as a striker. A distant future. Where else is Walcott gonna get to play as striker? I don't know, but his agent can find that out and he'll have the legal right to discuss it with as many clubs as possible come January if Wenger doesn't offer some real assurance. Fact is, if the club rated him, they wouldn't be adopting such an approach. Slow to initiate talks and making a take it or leave it ultimatum. Actions speaker louder then words. May be foolish of Theo to try his chances elsewhere but there is nothing worse than feeling as if you weren't given a proper shot to prove yourself.

[Kano]

i know all of that but there also has to be more some element of trust between the two after working together for 7 years and i'm sure if theo left it wouldn't be under a cloud, he would be all sweetness and light.

but look at the market. there is nowhere for him to go as a striker apart from chancing it here and as i mentioned earlier in the thread, he's not exactly going to be trapped is he. spend another year, nothing changes, stamp his little feet and wenger will let him go as usual.

[Niall_Quinn]

@Terry and Niall

Wenger hasn't once used Theo as a striker even when we've had a crisis with our strikers or in cup games. If you listen to Wenger's interviews, he keeps saying Walcott's future is as a striker. A distant future. Where else is Walcott gonna get to play as striker? I don't know, but his agent can find that out and he'll have the legal right to discuss it with as many clubs as possible come January if Wenger doesn't offer some real assurance. Fact is, if the club rated him, they wouldn't be adopting such an approach. Slow to initiate talks and making a take it or leave it ultimatum. Actions speaker louder then words. May be foolish of Theo to try his chances elsewhere but there is nothing worse than feeling as if you weren't given a proper shot to prove yourself.

He's being a dick. This is his biggest chance ever. Just look at how crap we are up front. He should at least get back in there and give it a shot, it's not like he's an old man. And the fans will soon forget all this if he gets back on the pitch and starts to play well. It will be the fans that propel him into that front spot of Gervinho keeps up his antics. We have ONE viable striker at the moment now that Theo has taken himself out of the action. This is why I really doubt his motives. Here's his chance, take the fucking money on offer and win the striker's spot off (let's face it) pretty limited competition. Any player with an ounce of ambition would relish the opportunity. This is why I say it is about the money. Useless fucks like Gareth Barry are on 100K a week and Theo's slimy agent has probably told him that's the going rate, performance or no performance. Theo should sack his agent and jump in with both feet and finally deliver on that potential he has promised for so long. That's the way for him to go, he could own the striker's role for years - if he can actually walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Not that it would do us any good because the ****s in the boardroom would be on the phone in minutes flogging him around the place for a fat transfer fee.

[Power n Glory]

i know all of that but there also has to be more some element of trust between the two after working together for 7 years and i'm sure if theo left it wouldn't be under a cloud, he would be all sweetness and light.

but look at the market. there is nowhere for him to go as a striker apart from chancing it here and as i mentioned earlier in the thread, he's not exactly going to be trapped is he. spend another year, nothing changes, stamp his little feet and wenger will let him go as usual.

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.

[Niall_Quinn]

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.

Van Pursestrings hasn't done too badly as a late developer.

[Kano]

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.

if he signs a contract, he'll play a lot more than he is now - wenger likes him but is showing tough love now. he has racked up more than enough appearances and his stats will ensure he is the prime wide man on most occasions.

there is nowhere bar a huge drop down the league for him to go - unless he wants to take several steps back in terms of playing time to become a bit part striker in a big team, its midtable or bust.