Arsenal outburst leaves Theo Walcott with no regrets – even though he barely played again during the last campaign
Winger claimed Palace 'wanted it more' as they beat Arsenal 3-0 in early April then saw the Gunners revive to win the FA Cup
THEO WALCOTT has no regrets over his brutal honesty last term — even if he barely played again.
When Arsenal’s season hit rock-bottom with a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in early April, Walcott insisted Crystal Palace “wanted it more”.
And while his team-mates went on to win the FA Cup, the England winger, 28, started only one more game during the campaign.
But he said: “I was captain for the day, no one else was going to come out and I felt like I had to say something.
“It’s out there, it doesn’t really matter. The team went on to do well after all those games.
“I’m an honest guy, I say what’s on my mind. I just want what’s best for my team.”
Losing at Palace was a turning point in the Gunners’ season and they lost only once in the rest of the campaign — with Walcott’s words clearly hitting a nerve.
He added: “There was a reaction and that’s what we wanted.
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“There were a lot of unhappy faces in the dressing room.
“We all got together, worked hard and got results in the end.
“We just missed out on the top four, which was disappointing. But considering how it went through the season, winning a trophy was positive.
“But this season there has to be more, it has to be this season, there’s no holding back now.”
Walcott scored 19 goals last term, despite losing his spot — and there could be even more competition if Thomas Lemar arrives from Monaco.
He said: “I was disappointed with the way it ended. But I was happy for the team, winning the FA Cup. When you are trying to get back into the team and the team is winning, it’s always going to be difficult.”
Games with Sydney FC and West Sydney Wanderers saw Walcott playing behind the striker in boss Arsene Wenger’s 3-4-2-1 system.
New £52million signing Alexandre Lacazette also played behind Olivier Giroud at the weekend.
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