Ex-Scotland boss Alex McLeish has looked back with disappointment at Southampton winger Theo Walcott’s spell with Everton following confirmation that the 32-year-old has penned a permanent deal with the Saints.
The veteran winger has played a notable role in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s sides this season, contributing three goals and as many assists in the Premier League this season.
Proving himself to be a reliable rotational option, he has featured in just over half of Southampton’s starting line-ups in the league and has accounted for just over 10% of the entire squad’s goals.
The 47-cap international also wields a well-documented importance in a pastoral role off the pitch, helping several of the Saints’ younger prospects to improve their craft.
However, McLeish was more concerned with the winger’s trickier spell on Merseyside, lamenting the experienced dynamo’s lack of impact at Goodison Park:
“He never really ignited consistently at Everton. We saw flashes of the Arsenal protege way back in the day at Everton”, said McLeish as he spoke to Football Insider.
“But it was never enough for him to cement a regular spot in the team every single week. Back home at Southampton, maybe he feels a bit of a release in his body and his head.
“That can also trigger good form and players being comfortable in their heads when they sometimes go through times of agony when they’re not in the team.”
Walcott only managed 11 goals in 85 appearances for the Toffees, marking a departure from the productivity enjoyed most notably at Arsenal, where he enjoyed a far more productive return of 108 goals from 398 outings.
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A return to St. Mary’s is tinged with an almost poetic quality given that the one-time wonderkid started his senior career on the south coast at just 16 years of age.
Given his increasing role off the pitch and let alone as a useful depth option, Walcott’s fresh two-year deal ensures the Saints have secured a versatile and astute leader – one with the capacity to inspire the next generation of academy starlets.
