At Everton between 2018 - 2021
Theo Walcott joined Everton from Arsenal in January 2018.
Born in Stanmore, London, Walcott was raised in Newbury and spotted as a 10-year-old by Swindon Town playing for his village side in 2000. He remained with the Robins for only six months before turning down Chelsea to link up with Southampton.
He caught the eye within Saints’ prestigious academy, starring in a run to the 2005 FA Youth Cup final, where the south coast team were beaten by Ipswich Town.
Aged 15 years and 175 days, Walcott became the youngest player to turn out for Southampton’s reserve side in match against Watford.
Ahead of the 2005/6 season, then Saints boss Harry Redknapp took a 16-year-old Walcott on the club’s tour of Scotland, where he impressed sufficiently to be included in the squad for the Championship season.
Walcott became the youngest player to feature in Southampton’s first team when, at 16 years and 143 days, he came on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 6 August 2005.
He made his full first-team debut away to Leeds United two months later and became Saints’ youngest scorer when netting their consolation goal in a 2–1 defeat at Elland Road.
The forward went on to make 23 appearances and scored five goals in all competitions for Southampton, before being prised away by Arsenal in January 2006.
His pace and ability impressed England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who called up the teenager for that summer’s World Cup finals in Germany.
Walcott became England’s youngest debutant when - aged 17 years and 75 days - he featured in a World Cup warm-up encounter with Hungary at Old Trafford – although he was restricted to a watching brief in the subsequent tournament.
He made his Gunners’ debut on the opening day of the 2006/7 Premier League season when coming on as a substitute to lay on the equaliser for Gilberto Silva in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Walcott’s maiden Champions League appearance for the club – against FC Porto in September 2006 – saw him become Arsenal’s youngest player in European competition.
In December 2006, Walcott was rewarded for his exploits with club and country when he was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
Walcott steadily established himself in Arsenal’s squad and scored his first goal for the club in the 2007 League Cup final against Chelsea.
He helped Arsene Wenger’s team finish third in the following 2007/08 season, when he hit his first Premier League goals in a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City.
Walcott scored the opening goal in Arsenal’s resounding 2015 4-0 FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa at Wembley. He also scored five goals in the 2017 competition, when the Gunners regained the trophy by beating Chelsea in the final.
The Londoner is nearing his half century of England caps and has scored eight goals for his country. Walcott made history when he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for the Three Lions, netting a treble in a World Cup qualifying win over Croatia in Zagreb in September 2008.
Walcott represented his country at the 2012 European Championship finals, three years after being an integral part of the England team that progressed to the final of the Under-21 European competition in Sweden.
Walcott left Arsenal having made 396 appearances and scored 108 goals for the club. He is the Gunners’ second-highest scorer in European competition with 21 and the sixth-fastest player to reach 100 goals for the club.
His 19 goals in 2016/17 made him the third highest English goalscorer in all competitions, behind Tottenham Hotspur pair Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
On 5th October 2020, Theo returned on loan for the 2020-21 season, effectively ending his time at Everton.
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Contracted until: June 2021
Source: Evertonfc.com
