According to the Guardian, Theo Walcott could be on his way out of Everton this summer, with Marcel Brands keen to build a younger squad rather than spending more money on ageing players.
Everton’s Director of Football laid out his plan at the Football Innovation Summit on Tuesday, saying: “The players we brought in last year were all under 25 so we don’t want to invest big money in players who are older.
“Everton is a club that also has to sell players so it is necessary to get younger players to invest in. That’s why we invested in young players last summer. (Lucas) Digne was 24, (Yerry) Mina 23, Richarlison 21; so we look to players in the age group 20-25/26.”
It’s clear Walcott is the odd one out in the squad, and his poor form doesn’t help his case either. The 30-year-old cost Everton £20m in January 2018 but has scored only seven goals in 48 appearances in all competitions, racking up a meagre five assists.
He’s played just 16 minutes of Premier League football in the last month and has an uncertain future at Goodison Park. Everton put a lot of money and faith in Walcott and haven’t reaped the rewards. The Guardian say offers may be encouraged from suitors when the summer transfer window opens.
The Blues are currently 10th in the table with 43 points from 32 games, coming off the back of consecutive wins. They’re four points adrift of seventh-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Arsenal and are looking to push for a top-six finish in 2019/20.
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