Theo Walcott Makes Claim for Arsenal Place in FA Cup Final with Hat Trick

When Arsene Wenger decided to rotate his starting lineup for the final Premier League game with West Brom, he would have hoped the players who came in to the team would play well and give him a selection dilemma ahead of next week's FA Cup Final.

After netting a first-half hat trick in a man of the match display, Theo Walcott achieved precisely that.

Walcott has barely figured for Arsenal since returning in January from a cruciate ligament injury. Although Wenger has repeatedly insisted he is merely being cautious with a player prone to fitness problems, it has seemed as if there's been a reluctance to use Walcott.

With his contract just 12 months from expiry, questions have understandably arisen about the security of his future.

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The England international delivered a stunning riposte against the Baggies. This was a performance that not only thrust him immediately into contention to start at Wembley but also suggests Arsenal might want to accelerate their negotiations with Walcott about a new deal.

It was interesting to see Wenger deploy Walcott as a centre-forward. The player has long expressed a preference for playing through the middle but has generally been used out wide. However, it's worth remembering that his cruciate injury actually occurred in a match against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2014 in which he was starring as a striker.

Now that he has regained full fitness, it seems Wenger and Walcott finally concur on his best position.

Perhaps Wenger's hesitancy to use Walcott wide is related to his tendency to switch off defensive. However, when playing as a centre-forward, that's less of a problem. Arsenal can use the likes of the more conscientious Alexis Sanchez on the flank, liberating Walcott to focus on attacking duties in the middle.

West Brom's Tony Pulis seems to think Walcott could be helpful:

The benefits are obvious. West Brom couldn't cope with the speed and variety of Walcott's movement. The accusation that he lacks a football brain was made to look absurd by the way he pulled the Baggies' back four out of shape.

When the chances presented themselves, he finished superbly.

His first goal was probably the best, as he struck a sweeping shot high beyond the outstretched arm of Boaz Myhill and into the top corner. For his second, he deftly nicked the ball away from his marker before calmly slotting into the near post. He completed his hat trick with a tap in after another flowing team move.

With Olivier Giroud now without a goal in his last eight appearances, Wenger must be sorely tempted to start with Walcott against Aston Villa on Saturday. The likes of Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil seemed to relish playing with a striker with the pace to stretch defences by running in behind. Arsenal's play was immediately less predictable and more penetrative.

Giroud has been outstanding during the second half of this season, but Walcott may have pipped him at the post for a place in the final XI.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.