Cesc Fabregas has heaped praise on a player Arsenal sold back in 2018.
The Gunners have always had excellent players in their squad. Arsene Wenger loved fast, technical players, and he prioritised signing them when he was the manager.
Fabregas wasn’t fast, but he was one of the most technical and creative players the Premier League has ever seen. He was incredible for Arsenal during his time there.
Now, the Spaniard has raved about one of his teammates at the Emirates who he thinks was really ‘undervalued’.
Cesc Fabregas raves about former Arsenal player who was ‘so fast’
Cesc Fabregas had an incredible playing career at the top level.
The Spaniard played for Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea back in the day, and he was brilliant for all of those clubs. He was fantastic in the Spanish national team too.
Fabregas has shared the dressing room with some of the greatest players in the world. From Thierry Henry to Lionel Messi, he has had some incredible teammates.
One player Fabregas had an excellent connection with on the pitch during his time at Arsenal all those years ago was Theo Walcott.
The Englishman was one of the fastest players in the world back then. He was unbelievable on his day, and Fabregas has revealed that Walcott had a trait that was so ‘undervalued’.
Speaking on BBC’s Planet Premier League, the Spaniard said: “He basically was so fast that even overhitting it a little bit more, I know he will get there even if the ball is not great.
“This is a fantastic thing for a midfielder when you have a striker or winger with the pace of Theo and with the intelligence of the run. We can talk about Theo’s career, the goals he scored and everything he has done at a young age playing for England… But the timing of his runs, for me, is second to none.
“I can only compare him to Pedro – Pedrito – the one from Barcelona. I had the same connection with him and for me, they are both very undervalued in this regard.
“People talk about fast players or 1v1s, but the timing of the runs is maybe even more important than anything because if you’re fast and you’re intelligent, you can get so many one-on-ones against the goalkeepers.”
Theo Walcott’s stats at Arsenal highlight one thing
When Theo Walcott was first signed by Arsenal as a teenager, everybody viewed him as the next big thing in English football.
The former Southampton star had everything. He was absolutely rapid, was a clinical finisher, and as Cesc Fabregas said above, the timing of his runs were brilliant too.
However, his stats tell us that he didn’t fulfil his full potential.
In 397 appearances for Arsenal, Walcott scored 108 goals and provided 79 assists.
That’s not a bad return for a wide player, but when you consider the talent and potential he had, it’s hard not to think he underachieved. His numbers definitely highlight that.
Walcott, in our opinion, should’ve scored and assisted a lot more than he did for Arsenal before he was sold to Everton for £20 million in January 2018 (BBC).
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