Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott profile

• Name

  Theo Walcott

• Born

  March 16, 1989

• Middlesex, England

• Position

  Striker

• Squad Number

  14

• Previous Club(s)

  Southampton

• Joined Arsenal

  January 20, 2006

• Arsenal Debut

  Aston Villa (h)

• Premier League

• August 19, 2006

• Drew 1-1

• First Arsenal Goal

  Chelsea (n)

• Carling Cup Final

• February 25, 2007

• Lost 2-1

Theo Walcott joined Arsenal in January 2006 to a fanfare of publicity but, in many ways, he only "arrived" last season.

Theo spent most of his first 18 months at Emirates Stadium developing his game on the training pitches but, last term, he made a significant step forward with 39 appearances. The teenager earned a reputation as an 'impact substitute', memorably racing 80 yards to set up a Champions League goal for Emmanuel Adebayor at Liverpool. Theo's efforts were lost in the remnants of a numbing European exit but it underlined what he was capable of.

He was equally unlucky at Birmingham in February when a well-taken brace was overshadowed by Eduardo's sickening injury and two dropped points. Nonetheless, Theo's raw pace and ability is now being channeled to good effect and he was rewarded for his improvement with a call-up to the England squad in May. He might have been a shock inclusion in the 2006 World Cup squad but Theo's international calibre is clear now.

The challenge for Theo this season is to secure a regular starting place with his club. Arsène Wenger believes there are "no limitations" on how the teenager can develop and, although the Frenchman tends to deploy Theo as a right winger at the moment, an improvement in his link-up play could see the England man emulate his boyhood hero Michael Owen and flourish up front too.