"Arteta locked us in the dressing room, it was like he was the manager” ⚽ Theo Walcott | Up Front
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Published 2024-06-27
Theo Walcott shot to fame at 16 when he signed for Arsenal in 2006, and his profile soared further when he was called up for England for the 2006 World Cup six months later. Upon his signing, he was widely tipped for greatness with comparisons to Thierry Henry. To go along with the goals, Theo won multiple FA Cups during his time in North London, whether that number is 2 or 3 is a point of debate in this very conversation.
Theo joins Simon in Frankfurt, Germany to discuss his career, from his rapid rise in professional football to his time at Arsenal and England. He shares what it was like to play under Arsene Wenger in a transitional period in the club's history. Theo also provides insights on Mikel Arteta, highlighting the traits he saw in him as a player that have contributed to his success as a manager, while also touching on the current England squad and their chances at EURO 2024.
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00:00 Introduction to Walcott
01:02 Walcott’s journey
08:03 Southampton Academy
15:33 Harry Redknapp giving him his debut
17:55 Joining Arsenal & Arsène Wenger
26:38 Taking Henry’s shirt number
29:11 Chasing Top 4 & his personal ambition
34:12 The culture changing at Arsenal / Mesut Özil
39:49 Did he challenge Wenger?
41:24 Mikel Arteta
46:57 Playing through the middle
50:12 Does he look at his time at Arsenal as a success?
52:04 England
58:34 Current England squad / Euro 2024
01:02:48 Looking back at his career at 35
All Comments (21)
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To think he started at 10 and 7 years later he went to the World Cup, that is mental
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The fact he grew taller and changed his name to Dominic Calvertlewin to keep playing is a testament to his dedication to the sport
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Simon Jordan having a normal chat for once in his life. Theo Walcott is a great guy who you can’t argue with or hate. Class
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The expectations this guy had on his shoulders was insane at the time, the fact he started playing football at 10 is just even more insane.
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I like the sound of this young footballer, he has so much potential.................
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Theo is such a humble and respectful man. Arsenal Legend!!
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Credit to Simon, he “wants to get to the bottom line and cut through the NONTHENTH”
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Theo Walcott was one of the players like RVP, Nasri and Fabregas the reason i became an Arsenal fan. I bought my first ever Arsenal kit 10 years ago with Theo's name on it.
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Wow, this is fantastic to see. Theo is someone I really looked up to! Met him once, (2008) and he was so down to earth and polite - even signed my Arsenal shirt. I had finance issues at the time and was offered £350 cash for it, but I kept my pride and refused to sell. I am very comfortable now and still have the shirt, so it was a win-win!🎉 This is a great interview (one of my favourites, alongside Chris Eubank Senior). Keep up the fine work, sir. ✨️👌
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Really enjoyed this ,nice to see a grown up conversation,Theo’s always come across as very honest . Like listening to Simon always let other person speak without interrupting .great podcast ,il listen to more now .
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I respect how honest Theo is. If he was not ambitious or had the drive to win trophies while playing and only played for arsenal because he loved football and the club then fair play to him. I personally dont consider this "loser" mentality. He loved the game and the club and this was more important than ruining his relationship with his peers and club potentially speaking against the club, or fighting to leave. I respect that, he was a good servant and watching him growing up, I would never question his desire to fight for the badge.
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Disappointing that Theo didn’t mention that Arsenal challenged several times in the league from 2007-2014. The team was few points away from winning the title!!
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Very calm and composed guy, nice interview
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Nice bloke, very refreshing
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Wow, still cleaning Kenwyn Jones’s boots… what a great example to young footballers today.👏🏽👏🏽
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This was insightful! Theo’s mentality was a reflection of a top 4 is a trophy is the reason why the team failed to beat the top teams.
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Fair play. He’s cut straight through the vacuous, uninformed nonsense and got to the how, when and why
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One of my favourite episodes yet, Theo comes across as such a humble and grateful guy for everything he has achieved in his life
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Tea making ability aside, Walcott is arguably one of those rare players that combine natural next level talent with intelligence.
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My favourite theo memory is him celebrating 5-2 against spurs on the stretcher… even injured he was “fuck these guys I just scored” 🤣
