According to reports in The Mirror, Everton are planning to make a £30m move for Arsenal winger Theo Walcott after a deal for teammate Olivier Giroud stalled.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Toffees manager is still looking to strengthen his squad despite making a number of new signings already this summer, but he may now focus on bringing in new attacking players after Romelu Lukaku completed a £75m move to Manchester United last week.
The Mirror says that Koeman had been hoping to sign Walcott and Olivier Giroud from the Gunners, but the latter looks likely to join Borussia Dortmund as a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Now the report says the Dutchman may have to focus his attentions on a £30m deal for Walcott, who spent the end of last season on the substitutes’ bench and appears to be quite far down the pecking order with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the Arsenal squad.
How did Walcott do last season?
Despite being in and out of the side throughout the campaign and starting the last six matches of the Premier League season – as well as the FA Cup final – on the substitutes’ bench, Walcott still scored 19 goals and provided a further two assists in 37 appearances in all competitions.
Those numbers show that the 28-year-old knows where the goal is, and it is no surprise that he could be a target for Everton this summer.
Would he be a good signing for the Toffees?
He certainly could be, yes.
As we mentioned before Walcott has shown that he can find the net on a regular basis if he is given a consistent run in the team and something that may well appeal to Koeman is the fact that the 28-year-old can play out wide or as a centre-forward.
The attacker will also have a real point to prove if he does move to Goodison Park having lost his place in the England squad under Gareth Southgate, and he will know that if he enjoys a prolific campaign that he could come back into contention before the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, if Koeman is looking for players with Premier League experience that have got a wealth of knowledge in Europe then there aren’t many better options on the market right now than Walcott, and they may feel that £30m is a good deal for the 28-year-old.
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