Theo Walcott urged to leave Arsenal 'for his own sake' by Gunners great Ian Wright

Walcott endured a tough game in Arsenal's EFL Cup win over Norwich
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James Benge26 October 2017

Arsenal great Ian Wright has urged Theo Walcott to leave the Gunners to save his career.

Walcott captained the Arsenal side that defeated Norwich 2-1 in the EFL Cup fourth round on Tuesday night but has been largely confined to Arsene Wenger’s second string since a switch to a 3-4-2-1 in April.

The 28-year-old has played only 46 minutes in the Premier League this season, featuring in just one of Arsenal’s last seven games, and has not been named among the starters in the top flight for the last 15 top flight matches.

West Ham have previously expressed an interest in Walcott, one of Arsenal’s top earners, whilst Everton were linked with a move during the summer.

Wright said on Sky Sports that Walcott should leave “for his own sake”, adding: “I'm not sure where he can go now with Arsenal and he's only playing in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League.

“He'll want to finish on a high in respect of what he's doing, he's given Arsenal great service in the time he's been there and for me he should move on for himself.”

Walcott’s current deal at Arsenal expires in the summer of 2019 and though Gunners boss Wenger pronounced himself “impressed” by the forward’s response to a spell on the sidelines it seems unlikely he will dislodge the preferred front three of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette.