It's fairly clear that all is not well between Arsenal and Theo Walcott. The contract situation on the horizon means a decision by at least one party will have to be made this summer.
It's rare that a player with 12 months left on his deal stays unless new terms are agreed. At the moment it doesn't look as if that's anywhere near happening, and while this very situation played out the last time the England international's deal was running down in 2012, the circumstances were very different.
Because of the blow that it would have done to their reputation -- having already lost the likes of Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas in previous seasons -- Arsenal simply couldn't countenance the idea of him leaving. Now that the side is filled with stars like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, that's no longer the case and, on top of all that, Walcott is a player that is very obviously out of favour with his manager.
Since his return from injury in November, he has started just five of the Gunners' 36 games all competitions -- although struggled with his fitness up until January too. Even three goals in four games between Jan. 25-Feb. 10 didn't do enough to convince Arsene Wenger that he was worthy of a place in the side on a regular basis.
Indeed, since then he has spent most of his time on the bench. He has picked up a few minutes here and there, with the Frenchman suggesting it was because of the time he spent out injured, however the reality is that he has simply been out of favour.
In a team packed with technical aesthetes, Walcott stands out as almost the complete opposite. He's not a great passer; he lacks vision; his dribbling and running with the ball is fantastic when it works, but not so much when he takes off like a bullet-train only to leave the ball behind him; and he contributes little to Arsenal's intricate build-up play. Yet, as Wednesday night's 0-0 draw against Sunderland showed, having somebody who doesn't immediately fall into the trap of constantly passing sideways around the area is a good thing.
Coming on as a 67th minute sub, Walcott stung the palms of Sunderland keeper Costel Pantilimon as a frustrated Arsenal side sought a goal, and created a good chance for fellow substitute Tomas Rosicky which the Czech international rather squandered.
With Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere deployed on the right hand side, Wenger is assured he's got a player who can keep and move the ball comfortably -- someone in tune with the rest of his teammates -- but who also, because of his predilection for playing centrally, has a natural tendency to drift infield.
When you're playing a team like Sunderland, and like Swansea last week, whose goal is to defend, then you need width. A congested central area is meat and drink to any reasonably organised team and, against Dick Advocaat's side, Arsenal tried time and time again to find space through the centre of the defence where there simply wasn't any.
Wenger's team looked tired and sluggish, both physically and mentally and, like it or not, Walcott is at least fresh. Under ideal circumstances, I suspect Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would have firmly established himself on the right hand side had he remained fit. It's a shame that he's been unable to build on what was a promising first half of the season, but the hamstring injury he picked up against Manchester United in March has prevented him from developing any further.
However, in his absence, and with the Ramsey/Wilshere alternative on the right not working out as well as it should, Wenger should probably consider giving Walcott a start against West Brom on Sunday. If he's so aware of his limitations as a player, he also knows how he can set up his team to cope better with them.
If he doesn't provide his full-back the same kind of cover, then he can task defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin to be more alert on that side. Arsenal have just one game before the FA Cup final against Aston Villa and -- with only one goal in three games -- they've hit something of a goalscoring slump at exactly the wrong time.
Arsenal need to find a spark and while Walcott's long-term future may well lie elsewhere, injuries to Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck, mean there are few other ways the manager can add some freshness to his team.