Southampton Fan View: Failure to land Walcott sends out the wrong message

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino openly admitted that he was keen to sign Arsenal star Theo Walcott following his side’s win at Fulham in the FA Cup.

Fast forward only 11 days, though, and Theo Walcott is officially an Everton player. He signed a contract at the club on Wednesday, with the clubs agreeing on a £20m fee for the winger.

There was a certain sense of romance and sentiment surrounding the prospect of Walcott’s coming back to St Mary’s, a feeling of the prodigal son returning after 11 years which saw him fail to truly tap into his potential.

Walcott’s career has been an intriguing one. As is the case with many young players in the modern game, he showed quite extraordinary promise during his days at a smaller club before testing himself at a higher level. It hasn’t worked out for Walcott, despite some successes, and it has always felt as though he has only ever been on the cusp of establishing himself as a quality player.

Nevertheless, Saints seemingly recognised an opportunity to bring Walcott back ‘home’ this month and were clearly keen to sign him from Arsenal. However, this opportunity has been missed, as Everton add him to their squad.

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The consensus amongst the Southampton faithful regarding Walcott’s potential return was mixed. The England international would certainly improve Saints’ attacking options and his experience of the Premier League, along with his goal record, are attractive attributes that Walcott possesses.

However, contrary to this, it seems hard to justify spending £20m on a player who will break the wage structure set at the club, yet has experienced several injury problems over the years and has never fully reached his potential. Walcott may be a proven player but the added hindrances that come as part and parcel of singing him are nothing short of off-putting.

Signing a player with Walcott’s characteristics would have been the antithesis of Saints’ usual recruitment strategies. The club have prided themselves on signing players from across Europe who have either displayed immense, raw potential or have tried their luck at bigger clubs but just fallen short of the mark. They rarely recruit players of Walcott’s age bracket, wage demands and injury history.

Yet, it seemed as though he was the club’s number one target. Although it will never be truly revealed whether or not this is the case, Walcott was evidently a player who was prioritised by Saints and there was a clear intention to bring him to St Mary’s this month. Now, though, it seems Plan A is out of the window as he has secured a move elsewhere.

We are now well over halfway through the January transfer window and the only deal that Saints have concluded is the one to sell their best player, Virgil van Dijk, to Liverpool for £75m. Not one signing has been made yet despite the club currently sitting dangerously low in 17th place.

Of course, transfer negotiations take time and it is important that the club do not overspend, nor settle for anything less than their key targets. However, it seems Walcott was one of these priority signings for January and he will no longer be accessible. If reports are to be believed and Walcott is the man who Saints desperately wanted this month, they will be forced to settle for a backup plan; a second best option.

Although I was personally coy over whether or not Walcott would be the right signing for Southampton both in the short-term and long-term, it is not good news for the club if they have thrown all of their eggs in one basket. Relegation looms and it is a genuine possibility for Saints this season – the January transfer window this year is as important as it has ever been for them.

As aforementioned, Saints shouldn’t panic in the market. That never ends well – players are bought for inflated prices with no clear, distinguished method behind the purchase. However, they do need to accelerate their dealing in January as with around two weeks remaining of the window, everything is eerily quiet.

Saints negotiate their transfers well and keep them under wraps, in the main part, effectively. Mario Lemina’s summer signing was out of the blue and many others over the year have been. The club are undoubtedly working behind the scenes on targets but time is not on their side – action has to be taken and the squad has to be strengthened, otherwise Saints risk losing yet more important points in the league. They face this anyway with Mauricio Pellegrino in charge, but there is certainly work to be done in the market.

Walcott’s move to Everton was something of an inevitability. The player was always going to opt for the richer club with a better manager in a stronger league position. However, it reflects badly on Saints, as they have missed out on a top target at a crucial time for the club, it seems.