Ten matches into the previous campaign, Theo Walcott had fallen far from most Fantasy radars. Having started Arsenal’s opening day fixture against Sunderland, the winger was then afforded seven second-half sub appearances in the following nine Gameweeks as Arsene Wenger set about restructuring his side after the departure of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United:
After an impressive 2011/12, Walcott had looked a real contender for our five man midfields prior to the start of last term. Finally shedding the streak of inconsistency that all too often plagued his displays, the Gunners winger was slapped with a premium price tag across the Fantasy games and, having racked up 169 points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, kicked off the campaign costing us 9.0.
The Statistics
From Gameweek 11 onwards, however, Walcott was a nailed-on regular. With Wenger desperate for the winger to sign a new contract, he became a first-team fixture once again and started 23 of the club’s final 28 fixtures. While Walcott’s continued requests for a move to the lone forward role may have ultimately fallen on deaf ears, his attacking contribution from the Arsenal right more than atoned for his midfield berth.
Despite playing almost 500 minutes less than the previous season, Walcott produced more goals (14 to eight), assists (13 to 11) and bonus points (23 to 19) as he stepped up another level for the Gunners. Finishing the season on 194 points, he registered his best ever FPL total and ended the campaign in sixth spot in the overall standings, fourth for midfielders behind Gareth Bale, Juan Mata and team mate Santi Cazorla.
The Prospects
He may have ended 11 points worse off than Cazorla last time out, but further analysis of the duo’s statistics suggest that, with a full season’s game time, Walcott is most likely set to improve further next time out. In terms of consistency, he delivered attacking returns in 16 of his 24 starts (66.6%) compared to Cazorla’s 15 hauls in 37 starts (40.5%) – while the Spaniard is capable of hugely explosive hauls, he looks set to test our patience far more often than Walcott.
Indeed, Walcott was second top midfielder for points per game (6.1), despite eight of his 32 appearances coming from the bench – boiled down further, he averaged 7.0 points per start; a hugely impressive statistic that highlights his potential for next time out.
Given that six of the overall top eight in the FPL game were classified as midfielders in 2012/13, Fantasy managers will have a tricky time balancing our budgets as we look to target the big hitters. Bale, Mata, Eden Hazard, Cazorla and Walcott look set to be the five costliest options across the Fantasy games, with a price tag of 10.0+ inevitable in FPL. While Bale will undoubtedly be the most expensive of the quintet, Walcott’s above-mentioned averages could see him outscore all bar the Tottenham man over the course of the season, with a cost in the region of 10.0 to 10.5 looking likely for the Gunners winger.
After an indifferent start to 2012/13, the Gunners’ last few months also suggest they could be a force to be reckoned with next time out. As the campaign unfolded, Wenger’s side finally gelled as a unit and with less reliance on Van Persie’s output, Walcott was one of four Arsenal players to finish the campaign with 10 or more league goals, along with Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski. With eight wins and two draws in the last 10 league matches, there’s plenty cause for optimism around the Emirates and as Wenger looks to fine-tune his attack following last term’s summer overhaul, Walcott’s eye for goal seems primed for success once again.
