Theo Walcott thinks Arsenal missed out on a player better than Christos Tzolis this summer
Theo Walcott has weighed in on Arsenal’s summer window — and the one that got away.
Ahead of Sunday’s London derby, the former Arsenal forward took to TikTok, to select his Arsenal vs Chelsea combined XI.
While most of his lineup leaned heavily into the Premier League champions, his spot at left wing went in Chelsea’s favour.
When deciding between Arsenal’s new £34million arrival Christos Tzolis and Morgan Rogers, Walcott admitted his admiration for Tzolis before going with the £117million man.
It’s hard to disagree with that. Tzolis was initially signed as a backup to the ‘marquee winger signing’ which never came.
The early links in the summer suggested Rogers was Mikel Arteta’s main target, while Tzolis was more of a market opportunity and a direct replacement for Leandro Trossard.
However, Arsenal came away from the window without an additional attacking signing, shifting a lot more responsibility on Tzolis.
The Greek winger has impressed for the most part, picking up two assists in the Community Shield against Manchester City before following that up with a great display against Coventry.
He struggled to impose himself at Villa Park though, losing the ball on multiple occasions with a poor first touch, and was on the losing end to his battles with Matty Cash.
To top it off, he was booked and then hooked at half-time.
Rogers, meanwhile, has got off to a decent start himself. He scored in Chelsea’s opener against Fulham before picking up an assist against Brighton.
Ian Wright is another who believes Arsenal should’ve signed Rogers. But he’s a Chelsea player now. And with him, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, the best defence in Europe will have to be at their best to keep them out at the Emirates.
As for Arsenal’s attack, their situation presents a golden opportunity for Eberechi Eze to step up.
That left wing spot may now be his to lose, and after Arsenal wanted to sign Rogers to essentially upgrade on him, Eze will surely have added motivation for the Chelsea clash on Sunday.
