Theo Walcott has revealed all about his Arsenal transfer to Everton in 2018.
Walcott rapidly rose to prominence as a teenager with Southampton before departing for Arsenal in a £12m deal aged just 16.
He spent 12 years in North London making just shy of 400 appearances, netting 108 goals in the process, becoming a crucial cog in Arsene Wenger’s side.
Walcott left the club to join Everton on a permanent deal in January 2018 and the real reason for his exit has just been revealed.
Theo Walcott wanted to work with Sam Allardyce
Walcott completed a £20m switch to Everton in January 2018, ending his productive 12-year spell at The Gunners.
In a recent interview with Simon Jordan on his Up Front podcast, the former England international lifted the lid on why he left Arsenal for Everton.
Jordan: “You wanted to leave Arsenal. You wanted to leave Arsenal.”
Walcott: “Yeah, I did. I did want to leave. I wanted to leave Arsenal because I wanted just to do something different, change the scenery.
“I just wanted to change the scenery. I was there for 11 years. Yeah, 11, 12 years.
“And for me it was just, I just want something different in life now to see what else was out there. And big Sam, I was a big admirer anyway. He called me up and I really wanted to go work with big Sam.”
Theo Walcott’s Everton career
Walcott never quite reached the heights he probably imagined he would at Everton but nonetheless, he netted 11 times whilst laying on nine assists across 85 appearances.
The jet-heeled winger was a key figure under Allardyce and Marco Silva but quickly became surplus to requirements when Carlo Ancelotti was appointed in December 2019.
He left The Toffees for Southampton in October 2020, initially on a loan deal.