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.”

Photo: Action Images

codge added 12:36 - May 18 Hopefully having a full season training with Saints during the off season he can come back a lot better than he has showed so far, l think he could be an asset coming of the bench like he was Saturday. Coyr.
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JGH added 12:37 - May 18 He seems a really good guy and it's a lovely story but ultimately this isn't a great signing. I'm sure he's joining on significantly less money than he was on at Everton but it'll still be a chunky wage for someone to run around like a headless chicken losing possession. Another wide attacker who surely sits behind every one of Tella, Redmond, Armstrong, Djenepo, Minamino, Smallbone. If talking about attackers in general add Ings, Obafemi, Adams, N'lundulu to that list plus we still have to get Elyounoussi & Long off the books too. All in all I don't get this at all. Really hope I'm proved wrong though...

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Colburn added 12:56 - May 18 Don't think it's a great idea but he's free and not as woeful as Redmond or Minamino, although the latter has shown some finishing ability. If Redmond goes to Norwich, it will give us a better chance of finishing above them and avoiding the drop.
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halftimeorange added 13:44 - May 18 Maybe Theo is replacing Danny?
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underweststand added 14:53 - May 18 I'm sure there will be mixed opinions on this one, but Theo looks pretty fit and agile and defies the age on his birth certificate. His apps. / goalscoring record and England caps would put many current Prem. players to shame and we have someone who knows and loves the club he first started in. He may not become a frequent goalscorer, but to me he always seems to make it look so easy whenever he does score. I don't expect him to see him start / or even feature in every game, but his enthusiasm and physical presence in the dressing room will be a great lift to those younger players coming in and trying to find their feet. The real key to success is not always skill, but confidence, and he shows a lot of that. A free transfer (£0) and "a more sensible level of salary" for just 2 years is a no-brainer, when you compare that to others who have arrived and just not made the grade. His reputation precedes him and he is the architype of the successful Academy graduate. A great role model for every upcoming youngster at the club who can look up at the board at Staplewood and see his name at the top.

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NewburySaint added 16:34 - May 18 If this signing does mean the end of Redmond then I am overjoyed for it-let’s face it we are overloaded with wide players: Djenepo has shown more promise / progress when played this season, obviously the same with Tella, Armstrong, we don’t even need to speak about, and now with Walcott, although he ain’t been great this season he is certainly better than Redmond who just hasn’t progressed in his time with us.

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AirFlorida added 16:56 - May 18 Considering our current financial / recruitment situation this is a 'keep calm and carry on' move. Look, he's no game influencer any more but he's a good solid team and squad player. Plus he's an asset off the pitch with the youth. I genuinely think he's actually happy to finish his top flight career with us more than the guarantee of another two years top salary. He's motivated and that shows in the running he puts in on the pitch for Ralph- plus, whilst as a sub, the way he congratulad Teller after Teller scored proved to me he up for the cause. If his shooting abilities we're anything like Armstrongs or Ings I'm sure bigger offers would have come through. But I'm pleased to have such an experienced player for the squad as next season is going to be difficult especially in Ings and JWP get picked for the euros and do well.. In fact if any of our players do well in the euros (Che, Armstrong, vestigard etc..) then we could be fending off the likes of Spuds and liverhampton in the summer.

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SaintPaulVW added 20:10 - May 18 No transfer fee so his wages aren't really a major issue, say they are £60 grand a week, that's £3 million a year. In the real world that's staggering but in the Premiership with transfer fees also to pay that's not that much. The gamble with all these older players is will they stay fit. Fingers crossed for Theo and us.
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saintinexile added 16:57 - May 20 For a club reported to have little or no money to spend this is a complete waste of money; hope I'm proved wrong
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