Walcott's move has finally gone through
Arsenal have completed the signing of Southampton striker Theo
Walcott.
The highly-rated 16-year-old is moving to Arsenal for a fee that is
expected to be worth an initial £5m, but rising to about £12.5m.
Walcott said: "I am so pleased to be joining Arsenal - a club I have
admired for a long time.
"Coming to Arsenal will give me the opportunity to work with
world-class players every day and play football at the highest
possible level."
Walcott was unveiled alongside Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger at
Arsenal's training ground in London Colney, Hertfordshire.
The striker added: "It is a strange day because I am also very sad to
be moving from Southampton.
THE STORY AS IT DEVELOPED
12 January
Walcott linked with Arsenal move
13 January
Wenger hopeful of Walcott switch
18 January
Henry hoping for Walcott link-up
"I am leaving many friends and some great coaches who have been so
important to my career so far, but I leave with many great memories
from the club.
"I am now really looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and
working hard as an Arsenal player."
Walcott is the most expensive 16-year-old in the history of British
football.
Jermaine Pennant was 15 when he moved from Notts County to Arsenal for
a fee of £2m.
Wayne Rooney was 18 when he made his £20m move to Manchester United,
who also paid £12m for an 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. Wenger is a
huge admirer of the youngster and said he had tracked the player for
more than two years.
He was delighted to have beaten off interest from Chelsea, Manchester
United, Tottenham and Liverpool to his signing.
He said: "Theo Walcott is a very young player, but has already shown
in his performances for Southampton that he is a talented player with
huge potential.
"I also like the fact that he is a versatile player who is incredibly
dedicated, shows great determination to succeed and is blessed with
electric pace. We have done everything to keep Theo at Southampton
Saints chairman Rupert Lowe
"We are delighted Theo has signed for the club and will make a
fantastic addition to our squad.
"There is always a gamble when you take young players. But I was ready
to take that gamble.
"We did things properly with Southampton, then the agents, the family,
the player. "He made his decision and we would have respected whatever
he decided but we were keen to get him.
"He is comparable to Wayne (Rooney) at his age. You have to be
cautious with comparisons.
"Rooney has made big steps forward and justified what people said
about him and I feel Theo can do the same."
Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe told the club's website: "We are
bitterly disappointed. The purpose of developing the best Academy in
the country is not to sell scholars to larger clubs.
"We have done everything to keep Theo at Southampton. But his family
and advisors are determined that he leave this club and go to Arsenal.
If you combine the football ability with his athleticism, the eventual
fee will be repaid in abundance
From B
Have your say on 606
BBC Sport revealed on 13 January that Arsenal would be coming in with
a big bid for Walcott, prompting Wenger to admit later that day that
he was an admirer of the teenager's precocious talent. He also let
slip last weekend that a deal was almost done.
Referring to new arrivals Emmanuel Abedayor and Abo Diaby, he said
Arsenal had signed "three players" but then changed that to
"two-and-a-half".
Asked if he was referring to Walcott, the Arsenal manager said: "I
would like to tell you."
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, who gave Walcott his debut during his
time at Southampton, believes Arsenal are getting a player of huge
potential but warned against comparisons with Thierry Henry.
"The kid can run through puddles and not make a splash," he told the
BBC. "He's lightning, he drifts over the ground and he's a fantastic
talent. Wherever he goes I'm sure he's got a great future.
"Henry is as fantastic a footballer as you'll ever see and I hope this
kid can go on and be a top player as well.
"But he is a million miles from Thierry Henry and if he ever gets
anywhere near his standard he will be one of the best players we've
ever seen in this country.
"He's got a long way to go to get there but, please God, he becomes a
top player which I'm sure he can do."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
--
Salam hangat,
Herman mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
\ \ / \ |\ \ / \
\ / \ | \ \ \ / _ \
| |\ | \ \ \ / ___ \
_| _| \_| \_/\_/_/ _\
Send instant messages to your online friends http://asia.messenger.yahoo.com
HAPUS BAGIAN EMAIL YG TIDAK PERLU SEBELUM ME-REPLY.
==========================================================
Milis Tabloid BOLA
Untuk KELUAR DARI MILIS INI. Kirim Mail kosong (tanpa subject) ke alamat [EMAIL
PROTECTED]
==========================================================
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolaml/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
