Theo Walcott completes £25m Everton switch, bringing 12 year Arsenal stay to an end
18 January, 2018
Theo Walcott has completed his £25million move from Arsenal to Everton.
Walcott has signed a contract tying him to the Toffees until 2021 and will wear the number 11 shirt.
The 28-year-old departs the Emirates as Arsenal’s longest-serving player having spent 12 years at the club.
However Walcott struggled for regular game time this season, playing only 63 minutes in the Premier League, and has opted to move to Goodison Park in a bid to earn a spot in England manager Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.
Everton have agreed to pay an initial £20million with a further £5m subject to add-ons.
Arsene Wenger had been reluctant to sanction the departure of Walcott but acknowledged he could not guarantee the forward the game time he is craving.
Toffees head coach Sam Allardyce will be looking for Walcott to solve Everton’s goal troubles this season and said of his new signing: "He's proven. He's scored 100 goals for Arsenal from wide positions as well as many assists.
"His pace is one of his key strengths which we lack in this squad. His assists are pretty good as well as his goals.
"We are short of goals so to add power in our goalscoring ability would be very important for me."
In a statement confirming his departure Arsenal wrote: "We all thank Theo for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future."
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