Liverpool resume Premier League action this weekend knowing their season is all but finished.
Sunday’s woeful FA Cup semi final defeat at the hands of Aston Villa was a bitter blow for the club, who look to have blown their hopes of a top four finish already.
The latest setback has seen Brendan Rodgers position at the club come under scrutiny, with the Northern Irishman becoming the first Liverpool boss in almost 70 years to fail to win a trophy within three years at the club.
His summer signings have simply not been up to scratch, and he is under pressure to bring in some established talent in the summer.
Arsenal’s Theo Walcott is a name that keeps cropping up with regards to a switch to Anfield.
Here we have identified five reasons why Liverpool should attempt to sign the Arsenal man when the transfer window opens.
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Click on Theo Walcott to reveal 5 reasons why Liverpool should sign him
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Daniel Sturridge is made of glass
If Liverpool fans have learnt anything this season, it is that Daniel Sturridge simply cannot be relied upon as the club’s main striker.
His injury record at Anfield has been shocking, and he has missed almost six months of the current campaign – which has cost the Reds dearly.
Another striker similar to Sturridge in the summer is the priority, and Walcott is one of the few who can match his pace in behind – unlike Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli who have managed a total of eight goals between them all season.
He’s an affordable target
With each passing week the likelihood of Champions League football at Anfield next season is getting smaller, meaning Ian Ayre and his team are going to have to negotiate some cut price signings in the summer.
Walcott falls into that category, given he is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract with Arsenal once the season finishes.
That fact could as much half his price, with the Gunners not wanting to lose him on a free or on a pre-contract agreement just six months later.
Good news for Liverpool given it looks as if they are going to miss out on that Champions League cash.
He knows the players well already
Rodgers gambled on some expensive signings with little to no Premier League experience last summer, and it is one that now looks as if it has backfired.
Walcott not only has plenty of experience in English football, but he knows plenty of the current Liverpool squad well already from his time with the international side.
No team has more representatives in the current England squad than Liverpool, with Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, and Adam Lallana all fighting for a place.
Walcott would thrive in an environment with players he has already formed a relationship with, whilst the chance to play with them week-in week-out at club level would only be a good thing for the national side.
He is keen to prove himself as a central striker
Prior to suffering an injury which kept him out of action for a whole year, Walcott was making a decent fight of establishing himself as a central striker.
He has been used on the wing more often than not during his Arsenal career, despite his desire to play more centrally.
Daniel Sturridge was in a similar position when he moved to Anfield from Chelsea, and Walcott may well be enouraged by the way he has thrived in a central spot under Brendan Rodgers since completing his £12million move in January 2013.
The fact Walcott is looking to prove a point in that spot would only be good news for Liverpool.
Experience
It is easy to think of Walcott as that 17-year-old who broke into the England squad for the 2006 World Cup. When in fact he is now 26 and supposedly at the peak of his powers.
He has been in the top tier of English football for almost a decade now, which will be useful for Rodgers who has reportedly told the club’s ‘transfer comittee’ he is looking to bring in more established signings this time around.
The likes of Lazar Markovic, Alberto Moreno and Emre Can signed last summer were all in their early 20’s and without any experience of English football.
Walcott has established himself here already, and can be someone those players look up to next term.
