NetEase Sports, August 30th -
After Henry's departure, Arsenal fell into decline. Although Wenger still had Fabregas and Van Persie, the former was always entangled with Barcelona while the latter had long been labeled as a "glass man". At the start of the new season, neither of them played due to injuries or fatigue. Just as people were worried about how the young Gunners would start the season, Walcott stepped up.
Walcott came of age after 5 years of fame
Apart from being slightly raw in the first match against Liverpool, the young tiger scored 4 goals in the following two games, helping Arsenal win all 6 points. This is not only about him ranking alongside Drogba and Malouda at the top of the Premier League scoring chart. After all, in the past four seasons, the most goals this Englishman scored in a league season was 4, and now after just 3 rounds, he has already matched his personal record. After the game, Wenger proudly announced that he would cultivate Walcott into a high-yielding striker like Henry, implying that the title of Gunner King, which has been vacant for 5 years, will soon have a new owner.
Born on March 16, 1989, in the small village of Compton in Berkshire, Walcott displayed extraordinary athletic talent in elementary school. In the Berkshire regional championships, he ran the 100 meters in 11.5 seconds, breaking the county meet record. When he started football training, Walcott played for Swindon's under-11 team before joining his first club, Southampton. On August 2005 in a match against Wolves, the then 16-year-old and 143-day-old Walcott was sent on the field. In October, he made his first start against Leeds and scored his first goal for Southampton. That year, he was named one of the top three BBC Sports Personality of the Year newcomers.
In January 2006, Arsenal spent £5 million to bring him over from Southampton, and depending on the number of appearances, this fee could rise to a maximum of £12 million. Seven months earlier, in October 2005, Walcott was an unknown child who had just entered Southampton's first team. But by February 2006, he was listed in Arsenal's Champions League squad and sat on the bench in the game against Real Madrid. The events that occurred in these few short months were incredible for this 17-year-old star, transitioning from a substitute in the Championship to a member of the Premier League giant Arsenal.
An even greater surprise was yet to come. The then England coach, the Swede Eriksson, upon seeing Walcott, considered him a treasure and took him to the 2006 World Cup finals. However, the then 17-year-old Walcott had not yet secured a stable starting position at Arsenal, let alone playing in the World Cup. During that exciting yet boring German summer, amateur photographer Walcott thus spent his first World Cup journey on the bench.
However, in the subsequent 2010 South Africa World Cup, theoretically speaking, after 4 years of honing, the young tiger should have roared. Unfortunately, recurring injuries prevented Walcott from having consistent performances after his debut for Arsenal in the 2006/07 season. From shoulder to knee, each time the young tiger wanted to prove himself, he was struck down by injuries. It was reasonable for Capello to eventually decide to abandon the recently recovered Walcott, especially since in the 2009/10 season, he only started 12 times in the Premier League for Arsenal.
But this blow did not cause Walcott to be disheartened. The complete recovery of his shoulder injury was his greatest relief. Compared to 5 years ago, Walcott is now more mature. With Fabregas and Van Persie yet to regain their form, the young tiger saved the new season of Arsenal with 4 transformative goals. Fabregas will leave sooner or later, and it is uncertain when Van Persie might get injured again (he suffered another scare against Blackburn). Wenger was right; if anyone is more qualified to become the next Henry, it is none other than Walcott.
(Source: NetEase Sports, Author: Jibiao)