Walcott is showing arguably his best form for Arsenal.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has put Theo Walcott’s transformation down to the absence of Oliver Giroud.
Giroud has played just 78 minutes of club football this season, with a toe injury his most recent ailment.
Instead, Alexis Sanchez has often been preferred as Arsenal’s lone striker and that, Keown writes in his weekly column for the Daily Mail, has freed up both Walcott and Mesut Ozil, who along with Sanchez have both now scored more than five goals this term.
“I think Theo has suffered for some time because Arsenal haven’t had a centre forward who can make runs in behind the defence,” the 50-year-old said. “Olivier Giroud certainly has his merits, but the build-up play is slow when he plays up front. He’s not going to beat a man like Sanchez does, so the wide men have to run from deep to get around the opposition.
“It’s hard work and is also less likely to pay dividends than having your centre forward running in behind to stretch the play. The way they are playing this season gives Theo little time to think and forces him to play with instinct. With Sanchez and Ozil both bombing forward around him, it allows him to join in and do what he does best.
“It’s like he’s flicked a switch in his head this season – he’s not going to be patient anymore and allow Wenger to bring him in and out of the team. Now he is making his mark.”
Walcott has already matched his league goal tally from each of the previous three campaigns (five), following his brace against Swansea City on Saturday.
The England international, who was omitted from Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions squad for Euro 2016, found himself linked with a move to West Ham United during the summer transfer window.
And his future at the Emirates Stadium looked even more bleak when Arsenal signed Spanish attacker Lucas Perez in a £17 million deal from Deportivo La Coruna on deadline day.
Perez, however, has played just four times for his new club so far, with three of those appearances coming from the bench.
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