Theo Wacott looks set to end his football career where it all began after agreeing a deal to stay at St Mary's next season and the one beyond that, can he end his time at Southampton in the same way he started it in 2005, with a flourish, lets hope so.
Saints have announced that they have reached an agreement with Theo Walcott to remain at the club for the next two years and the player will put pen to paper at the end of June when his current contract at Everton runs out.
So it looks likely that the player will end his career just where it began at St Mary's and Saints fans will hope that he can show the explosive form that he did in his half season in the first team back in 200506 season and at times in this year.
This will mean that the squad will be top heavy with wide players and fuel speculation that one of those will be moving on, rumours have been circulating that newly promoted Norwich City are looking to bring Nathan Redmond back to Carrow Road and that may be attractive to Saints, who would aside from Walcott still have Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Tella all pushing for a spot out wide should Redmond leave.
Certainly the club would like to keep Armstrong and the up and coming Tella, so if they are looking to sell to bring in funds to buy then that leaves only Djenepo or Redmond.
The club statement reads as follows:
Southampton Football Club is delighted to confirm it has reached an agreement in principle with Theo Walcott for the forward to return to Saints on a permanent basis.
Academy graduate Walcott has been on loan at St Mary’s from Everton this season, and he will now put pen to paper on a two-year contract after his current deal with the Merseyside club expires at the end of June.
It will complete a remarkable and poignant homecoming for the 32-year-old, who burst onto the scene in 2005 when he made his first-team debut at the age of only 16.
Walcott, who scored his first senior goal against tonight’s opponents, Leeds United, then went on to enjoy an illustrious 12-year spell as an Arsenal player, earning 47 England caps in the process, before transferring to Everton in January 2018.
He made an emotional return to Saints in October 2020, joining on a temporary basis for the current season, in which he has made 22 appearances and scored three goals, the most recent of which came in Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Fulham — Walcott’s first strike in a Southampton shirt at St Mary’s since he netted in a 4-3 FA Cup win over MK Dons in January 2006.
Speaking about the agreement to return to the club on a permanent deal, Walcott said: "I’m not sure I can properly express how happy I am about this. Southampton is a club that means so much to me, and it has been incredibly special for me to have spent this season back at St Mary’s. But to now have the opportunity to return for a further two years means such a great deal to me, both personally and professionally.
"I would like to say a huge thank you to the club, my teammates and the fans for making me feel so welcome back here, and I can’t wait to continue pulling on the shirt in the next couple of seasons. Hopefully in that time we can make a few more special memories too.
"I would also like to say thank you to everyone at Everton, who have been so good to me throughout my time with the club, and I wish them every success in the future.”
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl added: "Theo has been a very good influence for us this season. He is a very professional player who does things in the right way and has a very positive impact not only on our young players but on the dressing room as a whole.
"He understands the way we want to play, he has shown great commitment and he has also shown how he can be an important part of our game. I think he is a player who can continue to help us in these next two years, so I am pleased that he has agreed to stay with us.”