Theo Walcott has lifted the lid on how an ‘unusual’ image of Arsene Wenger swayed him towards joining Arsenal.
A host of the Premier League’s biggest teams were in for Walcott when he was a teen prodigy blessed with electric pace at Southampton.
So highly rated was Walcott, Southampton handed him his first-team debut at 16 years and 143 days when he came on as a substitute in a Championship fixture against Wolves.
As Walcott continued to impress at such a young age, the January window in 2006 promised to be a frenzy for the Premier League’s heavy hitters as they sought the youngster’s signature.
The 35-year-old spilled all on how Arsenal shot to the front of the queue, with a strange sight of former Gunners boss Wenger sticking firmly in his mind throughout the decision-making process.
“There was [options for me],” Walcott said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United came in with a very late bid which I wasn’t aware of at the time.
“[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 (former Arsenal vice-chairman) David Dein.
“His sofa was a little bit lower than this and his legs were higher than his actual face itself being how tall he was.
“(Laughing) I’ll never forget that image, it was very unusual.
“And Thierry Henry of course was a player I was really inspired to learn from.
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“As soon as I had Arsenal involved, I just want to go there and play with him.
“It was my dream to play with someone like that and if you ask any kid if they want the opportunity to play with their star, they’re going to do it.
“And it was an easy option.”
Walcott joined Arsenal from Southampton on January 20 in 2006 for an initial £5million, with the potential to rise to £12m.
However, he had to wait until August that year before he made his senior debut for the Gunners, which came in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.
Unfortunately for Walcott, he only had one season playing alongside his hero as Henry moved to Barcelona in June 2007.
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But they would later be reunited when Henry re-joined the Gunners on a two-month loan deal in January 2012.
Arsenal’s outlay for Walcott ultimately proved to be a shrewd investment, as the forward went on to make 397 appearances across all competitions, scoring on 108 occasions.
His 12-year spell at the Emirates came to an end in January 2018 when he joined Everton for a fee reported to be £20m.
Walcott enjoyed two-and-a-half seasons with the Toffees before he sealed an emotional return to Southampton in 2020.
The 35-year-old, who also won 47 caps and scored eight goals for England, retired from football in August 2023.
