Theo Walcott transfer back on Sam Allardyce’s shopping list

It would be reasonable to deduce that most of the help Everton need in attack right now is at the #9 position. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is raw and fatigued, while Oumar Niasse simply isn’t quite good enough. The less we speak of Sandro Ramirez the better.

Enter, maybe, Cenk Tosun, but is a forward from Arsenal also on his way? ESPN thinks that might be the case.

Southampton and Everton have made enquiries about the availability of Arsenal forward Theo Walcott during the January transfer window, sources close to the Gunners have told ESPN FC.

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Southampton and Everton are both waiting to see what Arsenal decide to do with Walcott after making their interest known in the England international.

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Everton are also in the market for forward reinforcements this month as Sam Allardyce looks to add more goals to his side and he is a long-term admirer of Walcott.

My colleague Adam addressed the Walcott issue in detail not long ago, and better than I ever could. Here is the crux of the issue, though:

Theo Walcott is a player of reasonable quality who deserves more Premier League chances than he’s getting at Arsenal. But as far as I can tell, there’s no clear place for him at Everton.

He’s not good enough to crack the starting XI as things stand. The team shouldn’t be taking minutes from young players to give to him, particularly given Everton’s mid-table status. He could play striker to give Calvert-Lewin the occasional rest, but he’s not proven to be a reliable enough player at that position.

How does Theo Walcott fit at Everton, then? It’s simple.

He doesn’t.

Reasonable minds can disagree on the wisdom of acquiring Walcott, and it is likely true that Theo would provide a little more end product than is currently on offer. However, he’s 28, and Everton a one tough FA Cup fixture away from only being in one competition for the next five months.

With the return of Yannick Bolasie and Nikola Vlasic’s performance on New Year’s Day, this is one transfer that simply may not be worth the hassle.