Theo Walcott

[ghq]

53 minutes ago, Barsiem said:

Is he?? If he was so passionate about us why didn't he choose us over Everton two years ago?

I'm happy to have him here but am more than a little cynical that's it's much to do with love for the club. He's shown that if he gets a higher wage elsewhere he'd take that over us. I don't blame him for that, but it flies in the face of emotion and passion

Without actually knowing, I'd hazard a guess and say I.25-1.5 million per annum.

[SaintMB]

Did you see us 2 years ago? We looked doomed and had an awful manager in pellagrino. How can anyone hold that against him? 

[Miltonaggro]

I was cynical as the window petered out yesterday but have to say in those brief interviews he comes across as happy, earnest and enthusiastic - and that was probably late at night in a hotel somewhere.  Though the press team seem to think we've re-signed Gareth Bale!  By contrast he's looked haunted at Everton in the past two years, a shadow of himself.  Happy to have him back and hope that he gives it a really good go, the younger players especially should benefit from his profile and experience.

[Chez]

1 hour ago, SaintMB said:

Did you see us 2 years ago? We looked doomed and had an awful manager in pellagrino. How can anyone hold that against him? 

I guess the argument might be that he should have come and saved us then. The long and short of it is he was probably offered a shed load more money by them, so it was a no brainer.

Personally I'm ignoring all the "PR". He is actually excellent at that side of the football business and says exactly what fans want to hear. What he does on the pitch is what matters most though. As with all signings, I really hope he is a great success.

[saint1977]

1 hour ago, SaintMB said:

Did you see us 2 years ago? We looked doomed and had an awful manager in pellagrino. How can anyone hold that against him? 

This. He’d have been a right back under Pellegrino who looked like he was having a breakdown every time someone crossed over halfway. Plus meeting Les hardly would have persuaded him. Had other options yesterday - Newcastle, W Ham, Palace but made a clear choice.

A low risk gamble and got to be a better role model for our younger squad than Lemina or Hoedt? Even his Everton form would an improvement and I think he may do better. Plus he has a shop window with his Everton deal winding down.

Edited 6 October, 2020 by saint1977

[ozzmeister]

He should be a great asset - even as a profile to the youngsters "I cam ethrough the academy, I'm an example of what you can achieve".

If his attitude is right, accepts being an impact sub, and embraces mentoring our academy prospects I cant then see a downside to this.

Welcome back home Theo!

[VectisSaint]

5 hours ago, Barsiem said:

Is he?? If he was so passionate about us why didn't he choose us over Everton two years ago?

I'm happy to have him here but am more than a little cynical that's it's much to do with love for the club. He's shown that if he gets a higher wage elsewhere he'd take that over us. I don't blame him for that, but it flies in the face of emotion and passion

Possibly because we weren't actually an option. Although it was touted as us being interested, is there any proof that we actually made a serious offer? Clearly this week he had more than one offer and chose us.

What I don't necessarily agree with is all this "homecoming" stuff. We "nicked" him from Swindon, that's why we paid Swindon a (small) consolidation fee when we sold him to Arsenal (seem to recall it was about 10k). I'm quite glad he is back though, he is a decent lad, and has kept his feet on the ground and didn't become a billy big bollocks like some. I hope he still has some pace, and has not lost it like Long clearly has.

[Appy]

As if people are moaning at him for not wanting to play under possibly the worst manager in our history.

[saintwbu]

14 minutes ago, Appy said:

As if people are moaning at him for not wanting to play under possibly the worst manager in our history.

Will never forget walking out of St Mary’s after the first game of the season drawing against Swansea to hear people say ‘well that was much better than last season’. The denial was bemusing, it was dreadful from day one. 

[eelpie]

On 05/10/2020 at 12:15, Roo1976 said:

Id play him instead of Djenepo....if hes comming to play for us he will bring experience for sure, but do we really need another has been 30 yr old to add to the subs bench already?

I hardly think Walcott is another has-been. He brings terrific experience and skills to a squad that includes a lot of young inexperienced players learning their trade. He will have to prove his worth, sure.  But he arrives with loyalty and commitment to do juts that. He  knows that had he prolonged his development at Saints fa bit longer he would have become an even more accomplished  player.  He surely intends to train hard now, and Ralph will make that happen. Theo knows that Saints fans will be his toughest judges.

Theo, welcome back!

 

[eelpie]

23 hours ago, The Cat said:

I don't have a problem with him coming in to bolster the squad. Will be interesting to see what Ralph can get out of him.

Has Harry Redknapp popped up on Sky Sports to take credit for giving him his debut yet?

 

'Arry didn't want to. He only played a team of kids to prove that inexperienced youngsters would be beaten. They were. And those wasted points might have made a difference to our fortunes. 

 

[GGalpin]

4 hours ago, SaintMB said:

Did you see us 2 years ago? We looked doomed and had an awful manager in pellagrino. How can anyone hold that against him? 

Exactly. Take who the clubs are out of it for a second- if you had ambitions of getting back into the England set-up, would you join a big name club who looked to have secure Premier League football with an ambitious owner, or one who were slipping very quickly into a relegation battle with the best player wanting out and a manager who was one game away from the sack a month beforehand? 

 

[derry]

Leaving my disquiet about his ability to close down effectively to one side. Provided he still has pace he could be a real counter attacking asset. I think he comes in the same sentence as either Redmond or Djenepo as I think Armstrong is a vital player for us. He could also offer us an alternative up front,

I regretfully can't help thinking what might have been for him. I personally think he made the wrong choice. Wenger's Arsenal where ball possession and overlapping full backs was the style with closing down ten yards away the norm. I often watched Walcott bemused moving inside as his slower full back made runs into the very space he should have been racing into,

I felt Alex Ferguson's MU would have been a better place to go and have his lightning pace used into the space behind defenders, I remember his great game for England playing wide, tearing I think Croatia to ribbons without an overlapping full back. He always seemed to play the way he was required and only rarely had the opportunity to use his pace. I think there was a great player in there wanting to get out but submitting to the multipass regime.

I wish him the best and hope that we use him in a way that suits his abilities.

[suewhistle]

1 hour ago, VectisSaint said:

We "nicked" him from Swindon, that's why we paid Swindon a (small) consolidation fee when we sold him to Arsenal (seem to recall it was about 10k).

I have a very random memory, but I seem to recall it was as much as 150K, and Swindon had rather forgotten about it until the cheque from Rupert Lowe appeared.

My own feelings on the transfer are that the smile in the photographs appear genuine and not the forced PR jobs we sometimes see. I suspect he was genuinely pleased to see us in for him rather than going to one of the other random suitors, and if that can be reflected in motivation in training and on the pitch we may have a very useful addition to the squad even if he can't manage 90 minutes of Ralph's pressing. Obafemi sometimes seems not capable of that when coming on for 20 minutes.

He never left under a cloud like some players do, and the fans remember that.

 

 

[Turkish]

36 minutes ago, eelpie said:

 

'Arry didn't want to. He only played a team of kids to prove that inexperienced youngsters would be beaten. They were. And those wasted points might have made a difference to our fortunes. 

 

I remember that game well. He basically hung them out to dry, it was a cup game away at a team the league below us. He played a load of kids and after the game slagged them off saying people keep telling him how good they are but they obviously aren’t. After Walcott had come as a sub and impressed he told the media that he had no chance of stating a game any time soon. A few games later he had no choice but to start him and he scored, of course then and now he takes the credit for Discovering him. Much like how he takes the credit for Bale.

[Toadhall Saint]

9 minutes ago, Turkish said:

I remember that game well. He basically hung them out to dry, it was a cup game away at a team the league below us. He played a load of kids and after the game slagged them off saying people keep telling him how good they are but they obviously aren’t. After Walcott had come as a sub and impressed he told the media that he had no chance of stating a game any time soon. A few games later he had no choice but to start him and he scored, of course then and now he takes the credit for Discovering him. Much like how he takes the credit for Bale.

Let’s just face it the man is saggy faced twat. Good at spending but no much good at developing.

[The Cat]

30 minutes ago, Turkish said:

A few games later he had no choice but to start him and he scored, of course then and now he takes the credit for Discovering him. Much like how he takes the credit for Bale.

Yep. Everyone was injured, Walcott had been banging goals in for the U18's and the fans and local press had been clamouring for him to play for weeks. Redknapp only picked him because he ran out of other options but has since rewritten history by bigging self up as some kind of visionary genius for plucking him from the academy and giving him his big break. 

[Appy]

Redknapp kept saying he gave his debut to Walcott away at Leeds.

 

It was a draw against Wolves at home on the opening day, his first goal was at Leeds.

[Saint86]

I am conflicted over the Walcott signing.

On the one hand, he is a returning academy player who has always had a soft spot for the club, and it is great to have academy players (who left the club very young) want to come back. However, he could have come back before (albeit perhaps the starts didn't align financially between clubs - and we had signed boufal and carrilo). He has been a very good player in his career, scoring some crucial goals in the champions league etc, and he is lethal for through balls in behind - so he does bring us something unique in that regard. However he doesn't have the ability to beat defences that sit deep and compact... which is most teams we play other than the top 4-5. Is he anything more than a better shane long that probably doesn't work as much, niggle as much, or jump as high?

Walcott has also made a big deal about the emotional side of this move - and i am sure that a lot of fans have a little soft spot for him as the first of that academy team to break through and then get sold off to balance the books.... But ultimately, as a club and a fanbase, he doesn't really deserve any special treatment - he hasn't played for us for years etc. If it was any other player, this would be the equivalent of west ham signing another 30+ player who can no longer cut it at the highest level.

It does feel like this deal has an emotional aspect which surely has no place in football business decisions? Especially for a club as hard up as saints?

Best case scenario, he does very well and warrants a contract by the end of it. Any other scenario sees him not warranting a contract and the club have the elephant of an underperforming loan player (not the biggest deal in itself) that also comes with a side of player/fan/club relationship baggage. I find myself wanting him to do well as much for the emotional "nice story" part of it, as for the benefit of a new squad winger.

Hopefully we get an ings stlye bounce - also i hope he is eligible to play against everton!

Edited 6 October, 2020 by Saint86

[Matthew Le God]

Just now, Saint86 said:

i hope he is eligible to play against everton!

He isn't, it is a Premier League rule for all loans.

[spyinthesky]

I wasn't particularly inspired by the signing but I reckon he should provide more overall benefit to the team that the 'mercurial' talents of Boufal.
I have to say that if Theo can perform as well on the pitch as he did in the Saints FC interview (in which he came over as a pleasant, intelligent and well spoken individual) I think we might have a diamond, but only time will tell.

[Lighthouse]

10 minutes ago, spyinthesky said:

I wasn't particularly inspired by the signing but I reckon he should provide more overall benefit to the team that the 'mercurial' talents of Boufal.
I have to say that if Theo can perform as well on the pitch as he did in the Saints FC interview (in which he came over as a pleasant, intelligent and well spoken individual) I think we might have a diamond, but only time will tell.

He always has, even when he was 16. Looks like we've found a suitable replacement for Hojbjerg already.

[badgerx16]

18 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

He always has, even when he was 16. Looks like we've found a suitable replacement for Hojbjerg already.

How are his fist pumps ?

[SKD]

Despite at the time and still being pretty underwhelmed by this, if we play him off of ings,  think he’ll be a handy player. After all, he can’t be any worse than long and obafemi. 
 

my concern is that it’s a position we really didn’t need as I do not see him being able to play in one of the 10’s that hassenhuttl likes and still think we lack a bit of creativity to break down teams who’ll put 10 men behind the ball. 
 

Everton fans seem glad they’re shot of him, mixed reaction from us. 
 

would I rather we had him than didn’t... yes. Would I rather we spend the funds improving a position / role we need (I.e a no10)... yes. 
 

[S-Clarke]

7 minutes ago, SKD said:

Despite at the time and still being pretty underwhelmed by this, if we play him off of ings,  think he’ll be a handy player. After all, he can’t be any worse than long and obafemi. 
 

my concern is that it’s a position we really didn’t need as I do not see him being able to play in one of the 10’s that hassenhuttl likes and still think we lack a bit of creativity to break down teams who’ll put 10 men behind the ball. 
 

Everton fans seem glad they’re shot of him, mixed reaction from us. 
 

would I rather we had him than didn’t... yes. Would I rather we spend the funds improving a position / role we need (I.e a no10)... yes. 
 

We must be paying something like 2.5m for the 8 months? (If his Salary is 50k as reported). What else could we have got for £2.5m? That is probably the maximum we had available to play with, so loaning Theo didn't stop us spending funds on a starter - as we don't have enough for that.

It's a cheap loan for 8 months, he's an experienced international, champions league and premier league player. There's a lot of sentimental stuff and PR drive around this move, for sure, but for what we had to spend this is probably a very good outcome.

Edited 6 October, 2020 by S-Clarke

[Manuel]

50k x 4 (weeks) x 8 (months) = £1.6m  

Pretty decent gamble if you ask me

[Yorkshire Saint]

Good bit of business financially, emotionally and I believe he does improve us in regards he is still quick and an upgrade on Redmond, Armstrong and Djnepo by anyones standard. Can also revert to a front 3 of Ings with Redmond / Djnepo and Walcott either side which looks tantalising to me 

[Jeremy]

I've been reading this with interest. All I cay say is that people in the Club must have interviewed him carefully and concluded that his general positive attitude to play for the Club favoured a contract ie you have to trust the judgement of the people in control.

Edited 6 October, 2020 by Jeremy

[S-Clarke]

56 minutes ago, Manuel said:

50k x 4 (weeks) x 8 (months) = £1.6m  

Pretty decent gamble if you ask me

Exactly, there's no way you could find similar experience in a position we needed to improve for that fee. I think Everton helped us out a lot there with the wages, they probably wanted a much bigger contribution.

There's prob a loan fee involved as well I reckon, maybe 1m? So yeah, 2.5m for 8 months. Would struggle to find anyone else with the experience he has for that. I reckon he'll work out cheaper than Boufal over the 8 months too, I'm sure I read Boufal was on something like 60-65k here.

Edited 6 October, 2020 by S-Clarke

[Teddeer]

I think Ings and Walcott could make a very good front two and might compliment each other to cause plenty of problems for opposition defences. Walcott still has quite a lot of explosive pace and should be able to utilise this when we win the ball back with our aggressive press. Ings is a very clever player who knows instinctively where to run. Both are good finishers although Ings is obviously the better of the two. My hope is that they can develop a good understanding quite quickly. What I don't want to see is Walcott stuck out on the wing - this was the case for a big chunk of his Arsenal career and he is not suited to that role as he tends to drift out of games for long periods whereas he thrives on being involved. Potentially this pairing could produce a lot of chances and goals.

[saint77]

30 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Exactly, there's no way you could find similar experience in a position we needed to improve for that fee. I think Everton helped us out a lot there with the wages, they probably wanted a much bigger contribution.

There's prob a loan fee involved as well I reckon, maybe 1m? So yeah, 2.5m for 8 months. Would struggle to find anyone else with the experience he has for that. I reckon he'll work out cheaper than Boufal over the 8 months too, I'm sure I read Boufal was on something like 60-65k here.

No loan fees and were paying 45k per week 

[SuperSAINT]

3 minutes ago, saint77 said:

No loan fees and were paying 45k per week 

Wowsers!

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Not trying to make any sort of a point with this but when do we think was the last time we signed a player with 47+ England caps? Keegan?

 

Le Saux was close but only had 36

[SaintTex]

1 hour ago, Nick75Sfc said:

Good bit of business financially, emotionally and I believe he does improve us in regards he is still quick and an upgrade on Redmond, Armstrong and Djnepo by anyones standard. Can also revert to a front 3 of Ings with Redmond / Djnepo and Walcott either side which looks tantalising to me 

This. Plus, Djenepo was out injured for half a season last year. Redmond and Armstrong have already had knocks this season and were unavailable for matches.

Could he even pair with Ings or Adams if they are out or need a rest?

Walcott gives some depth in the "where will the goals come from" department. Unless you are one who is convinced that Smallbone or Obafemi would be a better option.

I will remain optimistic until i have reason not to.

[Turkish]

55 minutes ago, saint77 said:

No loan fees and were paying 45k per week 

That’s a great bit of business. 

[Badger]

27 minutes ago, Ex Lion Tamer said:

Not trying to make any sort of a point with this but when do we think was the last time we signed a player with 47+ England caps? Keegan?

 

Le Saux was close but only had 36

Was going to suggest Mick Mills but read he only had 42. That being the case, I'd say Alan Ball on signing for us a second time whilst KK was with us.

[Jeremy]

I know this is a digression, but the figures mentioned on this thread about transfers and weekly payment/salaries for a 31 year-old footballer are pretty astonishing. What's the average salary over your way? I assume people with real jobs (plasterers - see the Lounge, police, teachers, people in the NHS and plenty so on) don't get this. The All Blacks get paid well over here, but I doubt the difference is as big as footballers. Is Messi really worth what he gets paid (presumably a shed load)?

Just saying.

[waylander]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy said:

I know this is a digression, but the figures mentioned on this thread about transfers and weekly payment/salaries for a 31 year-old footballer are pretty astonishing. What's the average salary over your way? I assume people with real jobs (plasterers - see the Lounge, police, teachers, people in the NHS and plenty so on) don't get this. The All Blacks get paid well over here, but I doubt the difference is as big as footballers. Is Messi really worth what he gets paid (presumably a shed load)?

Just saying.

The UK average wage is just under £30k/yr according to this site https://uk.jobted.com/salary

[S-Clarke]

1 hour ago, saint77 said:

No loan fees and were paying 45k per week 

Can't complain about that what so ever. Like a freebie shot really.

[Simon3737]

7 hours ago, VectisSaint said:

We "nicked" him from Swindon, that's why we paid Swindon a (small) consolidation fee when we sold him to Arsenal (seem to recall it was about 10k).

He was only 10! I think we can safely call him one of ours. 😀

[CB Fry]

Nice article on The Athletic on the background to the transfer. He wasn't particularly on the radar until he became available. Says Theo said he wouldn't go anywhere else (ie West Ham etc) which of course put us in a strong position regarding negotiations.

Lots of hope that his attitude/professionalism will be a wider benefit than just his contribution on the pitch, contrasting him with the less team-focused Boufal.

The main piece of new information was that Ralph still believes in Elyounoussi, and if the Celtic weren't quite as keen to lock down a deal early summer, he may well have been back in our first team squad for this season and we would not have needed Theo.

But that's okay right - after all everyone slagged off Moi so therefore he's going to prove everyone wrong and be brilliant because of Danny Ings or something. Welcome back Ely for 21-22.

[Mikey88]

9 hours ago, Jeremy said:

I know this is a digression, but the figures mentioned on this thread about transfers and weekly payment/salaries for a 31 year-old footballer are pretty astonishing. What's the average salary over your way? I assume people with real jobs (plasterers - see the Lounge, police, teachers, people in the NHS and plenty so on) don't get this. The All Blacks get paid well over here, but I doubt the difference is as big as footballers. Is Messi really worth what he gets paid (presumably a shed load)?

Just saying.

Messi earned roughly £98m in the last financial year with salary and endorsements. Think his weekly wage is about £500k. No idea what value you could put on what he brings to Barce in terms of commercial deals and success on the pitch. 

Edited 7 October, 2020 by Mikey88

[rooney]

Initially I felt a little dubious over this, but having watched his interview on the OS, I have changed my mind. We are aware of his ability, he is highly intelligent and clearly loves the club. I remember he always made a point of acknowledging the fans when he played at SMS. He did  not leave us with any animosity and given the circumstances now, it is a no brainer imho.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

The Athletic have just churned out quite an interesting article on the transfer, certainly makes it seem very positive.

[max_saints]

It started with a phone call just over a week ago. The message was clear: “Theo Walcott’s available. He wants to come home.”

Once that conversation was held, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl wanted to know the answers to three questions:

1. Is he a good character?
2. Is he intelligent enough to adapt to a new system?
3. Will he turn up to training on time?

When the resounding replies were “yes”, “yes” and “yes”, the wheels to sign Walcott on a season-long loan from Everton were set in motion. Hasenhuttl was also informed the 31-year-old former England international is one of the “best professionals” you could work with.

But before we get to Walcott’s homecoming, it is worth reflecting on how this fits with a transfer policy that has seen Southampton target players of a certain age so they can be sold later on for a profit.

Going into this summer’s window, defence and midfield were the areas that needed addressing as Maya Yoshida, Cedric Soares and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had to be replaced. Mohammed Salisu and Kyle Walker-Peters were bought for a combined £22.9 million, with Ibrahima Diallo arriving for another £12 million to fill the void vacated by Hojbjerg, who joined Tottenham Hotspur in August.

Those new players are all aged 23 or under.

It became clear early on that Sofiane Boufal was going to be leaving as well, creating a space in the No 10 positions Southampton’s attack-minded wide midfielders operate from. But at the time, Walcott wasn’t top of the list of potential replacements the club drew up.

Had Mohamed Elyounoussi’s second successive season loan to Celtic not been agreed so early in the summer, The Athletic is led to believe there wouldn’t have been a desire to go shopping for another attacking midfielder. 

Sources at Southampton believe Norway international Elyounoussi is capable of making his mark in the Premier League, also adding their belief a player who cost the club £16 million two years ago will prove to be a good signing. But Celtic wanted an answer in June, which didn’t give the St Mary’s top brass much time to think it through as they were in the midst of tackling the challenges of Project Restart. With this in mind, there’s a chance Elyounoussi will be given a shot to impress Hasenhuttl next summer.

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson and Demarai Gray of Leicester City were also considered, although moves to sign them didn’t get much further than initial discussions.

The new season then started away to Crystal Palace with Nathan Tella, an academy graduate who had played two minutes of senior football for the club, on the bench. Southampton lost that game, and were then battered 5-2 at home by Tottenham a week later. Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong also picked up injuries and it became abundantly clear another signing in that department was crucial.

Concerns have been raised privately about the fitness of players used in the No 10 role, and Moussa Djenepo limped down the tunnel holding his hamstring after being substituted early in the second half of Sunday’s win over West Bromwich Albion. Redmond, Armstrong and Djenepo all missed games because of injuries last season too, which only added to the discussion when bringing in a replacement for Boufal was being discussed.

The question confronting Hasenhuttl and the hierarchy at that point was whether they sign a young player, investing for the future, or go with experience. Due to the unique situation, it was decided to go the latter route.

Former Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana is believed to have been open to returning to St Mary’s but that would have been a huge, long-term financial investment — something the club weren’t willing to commit to — and he moved as a free agent from Liverpool to Brighton & Hove Albion instead.

As the window drew to a close, it was obvious that Walcott’s homecoming was a deal they could make happen.

There’s an argument that his recent injury record isn’t much better than those of the players already on their books. However, as they’ve done with striker Danny Ings, there is a confidence at the club that any underlying problems he may or may not have can be managed in a way that will see him stay fit.

It’s also worth noting it’s unlikely Walcott, who left the club for Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, is going to be a regular starter in Hasenhuttl’s team. The Athletic understands he’s viewed as someone who can come on in the final 25 minutes of a match and make an impact.

But there’s a desire for his influence to extend beyond what he can do on the pitch. To put it bluntly, he’s not Boufal. The Morocco international, who has joined French top-flight side Angers, didn’t add value to the group behind the scenes. While Boufal’s ability was never doubted, a can-do attitude is everything to Hasenhuttl.

Walcott, on the other hand, is expected to come in and be a positive influence on the likes of Djenepo, Tella and Yan Valery, while also pushing Redmond to up his levels and improve. Not only can he make a difference on the wing, the man with 47 England caps can also play as a striker if

 

With everyone behind the scenes at Southampton keen to make the transfer happen, it became a matter of reaching an agreement with Everton. This is thought to have been fairly straightforward.

 

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti decided Walcott was surplus to requirements and the club wanted to get his salary off the wage bill in a bid to balance the books after a series of high-fee incomings during this window.

Southampton always had the upper hand in terms of signing him. Walcott informed them he was only going to return to St Mary’s if he left Goodison Park, seemingly not interested in a move to Burnley, Crystal Palace or Fulham.

To boost his chances of securing a loan move, Walcott turned down certain bonuses he was due to receive from Everton. All in all, Southampton will be paying slightly less than half of his wages until next summer, and there was no loan fee involved.

This is certainly being viewed as a win-win situation inside St Mary’s. They were able to sign a player with a wealth of experience, who wasn’t going to cost them an arm and a leg. The Athletic understands that the financial outlay on Walcott falls below the level of the club’s highest earners.

It’s understood there are ways Walcott can make more during his Southampton loan. Should the club end up qualifying for Europe this season, for example, he’ll be entitled to a bonus.

As was seen earlier this summer with Gareth Bale’s return to Spurs, there is a certain pull about going back to a club that holds a special place in a player’s heart. Whether it’s unfinished business or a feeling of familiarity, the connection is always there.

“I had a few opportunities from other clubs but as soon as Southampton came in for me, it’s part of me and has made me into the player I am,” said Walcott, who first joined Southampton at the age of 11. “It’s in my heart.

“I will probably cry, I bet, when I first play and it means so much. All the people that made it happen, I can’t thank them enough. Honestly, I’m so pleased.”

There was also a telling line from Hasenhuttl, who, let’s be honest, has always discussed how he prefers signing younger players. The tone set by the manager would have provided an element of comfort to the players at his disposal. Had Southampton signed another winger permanently, what would that say about, for example, Djenepo’s future?

By opting to go for Walcott on loan, the hope is that the dressing room should — and almost certainly will — remain a happy place.

“His experience and influence will also be important for our young players,” Hasenhuttl said. “The idea is not to block their development but for this to make it faster. From this professional, they can learn and grow as players for the future of our club.”

The fact Walcott was available on loan was crucial to the deal becoming a reality. Hasenhuttl was happy to veer off-track and opt for experience. But a player who turns 32 this season was never going to be signed permanently.

Walcott’s Everton contract expires next summer, which will make him a free agent. The Athletic understands the possibility of Southampton retaining his services beyond that point has not yet been discussed by the two parties. Although, if he comes in and performs in a way that means the club would be crazy not to open dialogue about signing him permanently, this is something they would be open to — just not yet.

His return to Southampton was, largely, met with a warm welcome by the fans. When he left to join Arsenal, it wasn’t under a cloud. The £12 million deal was — and still is — a lot of money to any football club.

Southampton had hoped he would return before, in January 2018, but they were unable to match the package Everton offered to Arsenal.

That’s in the past now. Walcott is home — and it won’t be long before everyone finds out whether this move was a masterstroke or wishful thinking.

https://theathletic.com/2118760/2020/10/07/theo-walcott-southampton-transfer-hasenhuttl-loan/?source=user_shared_article

[Lord Duckhunter]

Interesting article.

The bit about Boufal not contributing behind the scenes goes against the perceived wisdom from his fan boys on here. Ely maybe given another shot is also surprising. All in all the thinking outlined in the article makes sense on paper, let’s see if it pans out in reality too. 
 

My favourite era was when Lawrie mixed youngsters with genuine stars that were slightly over the hill. Whilst Walcott was never in the class of a Bally, KK or Jimmy Case, has more top level European & England experience than many of the oldies Lawrie signed. If his attitude is right, could be a decent signing on & off the pitch. 

[tajjuk]

Kind of makes sense from that, shows the value that managers, players and coaches put in off the field influence, tactical intelligence etc. that probably fans don't value so much. 

Interesting comments about Elyounoussi there, he'll be 27 by the start of next season, seems interesting that they think he can improve enough to earn a place in the squad. 

[John Boy Saint]

1 hour ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Interesting article.

The bit about Boufal not contributing behind the scenes goes against the perceived wisdom from his fan boys on here. Ely maybe given another shot is also surprising. All in all the thinking outlined in the article makes sense on paper, let’s see if it pans out in reality too. 
 

My favourite era was when Lawrie mixed youngsters with genuine stars that were slightly over the hill. Whilst Walcott was never in the class of a Bally, KK or Jimmy Case, has more top level European & England experience than many of the oldies Lawrie signed. If his attitude is right, could be a decent signing on & off the pitch. 

I can see that from Boufal - I watched a couple of academy games where he was given a run out and his attitude looked a bit rotten almost "I'm too good to play at this level". One game I think a few of us watched he was subbed after an oppo nipper had run rings round him for the second or third time and he lashed out at him got a yellow, his head was gone so subbed.

I have to agree on the Lawrie era, household names pulling on a Saints shirt, Dave Watson I would throw into that mix too. Jimmy Case was only brought in to paper over the crack left by Steve Williams leaving, and I think Jimmy and Lawrie only intended it to be a short term thing as Case knew his legs weren't what they were in his Liverpool pomp, (last signing McMenemy made) amazingly 6 years later he was still running our midfield. Probably find if you had the Lawrie from back then in the job today, Theo might well have found himself on his shopping list.

[Chez]

2 hours ago, tajjuk said:

Kind of makes sense from that, shows the value that managers, players and coaches put in off the field influence, tactical intelligence etc. that probably fans don't value so much. 

Interesting comments about Elyounoussi there, he'll be 27 by the start of next season, seems interesting that they think he can improve enough to earn a place in the squad. 

I actually liked a lot of what I saw of Elyounoussi. There I said it. I didn't really understand the almost universal dislike of him. He has a good touch, decent awareness and tries to make things happen...but perhaps nothing ever did, hence why he didn't make an impact and why no one on here likes him. 

[skintsaint]

TW really wanted to come to Saints...until another team offered more money. Quality. He was going to get no minutes at Everton so thought I might as well get some minutes at Saints now and we just needed another body in the squad. Still don't see how he fits in our system. Glad its only a loan.