Southampton have agreed to take Theo Walcott on loan from Everton.
The first player departure of deadline day has been confirmed as Theo Walcott is on his way to Southampton. The Englishman will return to Saints FC after 15 years, 16 years after he left for Arsenal.
According to Inside Futbol, Theo Walcott is on his way for Southampton medical as the South coast side have agreed on a loan deal with the 31 year old. Saints were on the hunt for a new right winger and a full back. It now appears their thirst for a winger is quenched as Theo Walcott becomes the latest addition to the Saints squad.
The current Southampton squad lacks a direct outright winger on the right flank and Theo Walcott fits the bill. It will be a very emotional return for the 31 year old who left Southampton as one of the most promising youngsters in the world. He was a huge success at Arsenal but sadly couldn’t have a similar impact at Everton.
The 31 year old is in his final year of his contract at Goodison and even though offloading him permanently would have been a priority, it wasn’t logical unless they let him go for absolutely nothing. A loan move does make sure that his wages are covered by the other club or at least a part of his wages.
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In this case, Southampton will only pay a part of his wages, as per Football Insider. Theo Walcott earns around £100,000 a week and the Saints will be paying around £55,000 a week as per the loan agreement.
I see this as a win-win for every party involved. Everton wouldn’t have been able to get him off their books permanently.
With Walcott not being an important player of the first team, he would have earned around £5 million a year for being on the bench. The loan deal allows the Toffees to trim their wage bill and just pay a portion of the salary.
As for Southampton, they lacked depth in the right wing position and Walcott surely adds depth and pace threat to the Saints attack. Walcott, who would have spent the majority of the time on the bench at Goodison, will now get frequent chances to play for Southampton.
Is this a good move for Southampton?