Julia Upson, the landlady responsible for tending to the maturing personalities of Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott during their time at Southampton, revealed: “It was always felt that Theo could achieve great things, but Gareth’s progress was less certain early on. Gareth was very determined, but he would beat himself up a bit sometimes.” Five years have passed since the 12 month period Bale and Walcott shared a room at Darwin Lodge, Southampton’s academy accommodation, and both have become vital components in their respective new clubs’ pursuit of success.
What’s more, both wingers have featured prominently in the Champions League and at International level, so why is it currently considered that Bale is valued at upwards of £60million, is deemed the world’s best player by England’s manager and is apparently being tracked by Barcelona and yet Walcott is generally thought to have failed to fulfil his early promise, when at 22 he is just four months older than his Spurs counterpart?
Not long ago, Gareth Bale recorded 24 consecutive League games without playing for a winning Tottenham side. His performances didn’t always reflect those of his faltering team as a whole, and his immediate development has imitated the improvement Spurs have made in the last 13 months. However, the fact that Tottenham have become the first side since 2005 to break in to the Top 4 and have performed exceptionally in their maiden Champions League season (last night aside) has contributed to the majority perception of Bale’s worth.
It should be mentioned that Walcott joined an established Champions League side who are always widely expected to challenge for all honours including the Premier League title. The England forward joined Arsenal at the age of 16 and was expected to continue his education at the highest level including being a member of his country’s 2006 World Cup squad not long after his seventeenth birthday. Those first six months of 2006 would have been a lot to take on for a player of such a tender age, and a year after Walcott returned from Germany, his old room-mate had joined him in the Premier League, signing for neighbouring rivals Tottenham.
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Walcott failed to register a single League goal in his first full season at the Emirates, and hasn’t demonstrated proficient goal-scoring form in his most recent seasons, but Bale registered just 5 League goals in the three seasons preceding the current campaign. Both players have scored 11 in all competitions this season – Walcott in 19 starts, Bale in 32 – and both have recorded 7 in the League.
It could be argued that Bale’s development has emulated that of Walcott and that is wasn’t until his hat-trick against Internazionale at the beginning of this season that Bale was noticed on a continental scale, as Walcott was following his hat-trick for England against Croatia in 2008. Although Walcott hasn’t replicated that form consistently, he has confirmed his quality on several occasions since, as his influential display as a substitute against Barcelona last season proved.
Walcott hasn’t evolved at the rate most expected him to, and hasn’t significantly influenced Arsenal’s attempts to achieve their targets, as Bale did by propelling Spurs in to the Champions League last season. However, the Tottenham winger only endured a short period determining his best position, which was essentially a decision on how many defensive duties he should be employed for, whereas Walcott is still to establish his optimum place in Arsenal’s team, due in part to his manager’s overly-flexible system.
The accuracy of recent appraisals of Bale is not in question, and he undoubtedly represents the more promising talent at present, but it should be noted that several external factors contributed to the burgeoning attention on him. At the start of next season, both players will be 22, and Bale will be expected to improve on his already excellent form, especially if his club re-qualify for the Champions League. It is clear that both former Southampton trainees have progressed in tandem and one thing we can all be certain of is each players’ appetite for success, as Julia Upson explains: “Some players do let success go to their heads but, with Theo and Gareth, you always knew they had the right attitude and temperament.”
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