Theo Walcott made his thoughts clear on Bryan Mbeumo and admitted Arsenal missed a trick in not signing him before Manchester United forked out £71million for his services
Theo Walcott told Arsenal that they would have been massively helping Bukayo Saka by signing Bryan Mbeumo. The 26-year-old left Brentford last month after he was signed by Manchester United in a blockbuster £71million transfer.
The Cameroon international was said to be of interest to the Gunners as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea but Mbeumo made clear to his former side that a move to Old Trafford was his dream destination.
While Mbeumo and Saka both play on the right side of attack, Walcott admitted he would have been a shrewd signing for Mikel Arteta in order to lessen the workload on the England star.
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Saka, 23, has played a whopping 263 games for Arsenal since breaking into the team in 2019 and has lacked competition in his position for the majority of his career in north London.
The absence of a player capable of filling in for him has meant he’s played a considerable number of games. His lack of rest may have contributed to the torn hamstring he suffered last season against Crystal Palace, which ruled him out for over three months.
Speaking on the It’s Called Soccer podcast with Rebecca Lowe, the 36-year-old was adamant as he said: “Arsenal should have got Mbeumo many years ago. That was one player I thought, ‘take the load off Saka’. I’m a big fan of him.”
Arsenal fans have already received an injury scare over their prized player after Saka limped off the pitch in their 1-0 pre-season loss to Tottenham last month. Their fears were soon downplayed after he started in their 3-2 loss to Villarreal a week later.
Despite missing out on Mbeumo, the north London side did add attacking firepower in Noni Madueke whose favoured position is on the right wing. The ex-Chelsea man cost £52m and is certainly highly thought of by Arteta who explained what the Englishman will bring to his side.
“We’re all so happy to welcome Noni Madueke to the team,” the Spaniard said. “Noni is an exciting and powerful young player, with his performances and numbers in recent seasons being of consistently high quality. He is one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League.
“At just 23, Noni already brings experience of club and international football, and he knows the Premier League very well. Having seen the quality of Noni’s performances up close in recent seasons, we’re really excited he is joining us.
“Noni joins our group with familiar England teammates and other players he knows. He will be made to feel at home straight away. His arrival will really improve our squad – we’re all thrilled to have him here. From all of us, welcome Noni and welcome to your family.” Arsenal will kick off their Premier League season away to Manchester United on Sunday.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
