Arsenal playing hardball over Walcott

With just days left of this Silly Season, Arsenal seriously entertain selling Theo Walcott to a Premier League rival after contract talks have broken down.

That is the gist of two separate reports in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, respectively. Both stories are apparently written with a club insider as the main source. Giveaways are a) the mentions of Arsenal offering a wage hike perceived as too small by the England winger's representatives, and b) hardball rhetoric about the club being relaxed about selling him.

The obvious angle to this story is that Arsenal yet again look caught out by a player getting to the final year of his contract without renewal talks taking place. This was what manager Arsène Wenger got the most flak for last summer.

However, the two stories I've linked to put more emphasis on Arsenal's view: the offer of £75k per week is a 'final five-year offer'. 'They do not intend to make an improved offer,' as Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph writes. Walcott's representatives have 'informed the club', they aren't quoted as sources for Dominic Fifield's Guardian story themselves.

This, to me, looks like Arsenal giving final notice: sign or be sold. Pretty much as reported, then.

For the common Gooner, letting Walcott go for an eight-figure sum wouldn't be perceived as fatally weakening the first team. He looks unable to play well for more than one or two games in a row. After six years at Arsenal, he's still in and out of the first XI and is often the subject of exasperated moans from the stands. His assist stats may well never be better than last season, when Robin van Persie was on the end of just about everyone of Walcott's final balls.

The Telegraph's Wilson adds on Twitter that Arsenal are relaxed because they not only have Gervinho in Walcott's stead, but also have high hopes for teenager Serge Gnabry.

But the club's recent reputation as a selling club will be reinforced. Manchester City's interest in Walcott is a given. But seeing him line up for Liverpool, who reportedly are up for offering him £100k per week, would suggest that Arsenal can't or won't compete even with the next to largest clubs in the league.

Wenger's outspoken target of bringing through a new generation of British players at Arsenal, hoping for stronger club loyalty from them, will also be ridiculed.

Meanwhile, with just a few days left, any mentions of incoming Arsenal targets look weakly sourced and thoroughly unconvincing. Tales of Newcastle midfielders and stars from the French league all smack of agents' desperation as the window is starting to creak.

Van Persie was replaced by Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud even before he was sold, and Alex Song left a squad well stuffed with other midfielders. But it's hard to see that Walcott can leave without anyone coming in.

It might be a gamble. It might be Arsenal using the broadsheets (though not literally) to whip Walcott into line. But gambles don't always pay off.