With rumours continuing to link Theo Walcott with a move elsewhere, the Arsenal attacker has done the honourable thing and explained why he hasn't been in the Arsenal team of late.
They're the best team in Europe, or at least they have been this year. According to an interview reproduced on the club's website, Walcott has said that the competition for places is so fierce at Arsenal at the moment that it is very difficult for him or others to get into a winning team.
There’s a lot of competition for places so everyone seems to lift a gear and it makes it a bit more difficult for people to get into the team.
In this calendar year, we’ve been the best team in Europe. It’s the strongest the squad has been and everyone is staying fit as well. There aren’t many injuries in the squad, which is important. If we had an injury-free season, I think we could lift the title.
There's no doubt that Arsenal have been very impressive in the Premier League since the turn of the year but to say that they're the best team in Europe may be stretching things a bit.
There may have been a bit of placating fans involved with Walcott's comments. The England international is thought to be less than pleased to be on the outside looking in and with an ongoing contract wrangle clouding things, he has been linked with a move away from the Emirates. Presumably to somewhere easier to get into the team, Barcelona perhaps?
