Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Will Walcott's Injury Affect Gunners' Transfer Plans?

Arsenal have already found themselves beset by the first serious injury of the young season today, after winger Theo Walcott was sent home from training camp due to an ankle injury. 

The 22-year-old winger was sent home to undergo tests on the ankle injury, which has been recurring off and on throughout the summer, according to a Daily Mail report today. 

Manager Arsene Wenger told reporters that the injury merited further investigation, and he was anxious to find out what was wrong with his young star. 

Per Wenger himself:

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'Theo went home early and was due to have an MRI,' he said.

'It is an ankle injury that comes and goes. We need some more investigation because sometimes he's completely free of it and sometimes it affects him. But we had to send him back because he couldn't practice anymore.'

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Should Gunners fans be concerned by Walcott's injury? It's unclear at this point, but from Wenger's statements, perhaps. This sounds like the kind of injury that can sap a player's effectiveness over the course of a season, particularly if Walcott comes back to the pitch before he's fully healthy. 

But does Walcott's injury change what the Gunners were planning to do this summer in the transfer market? Will it impact who they chase? 

While it figures to change Arsenal's priorities slightly, don't expect Walcott's ankle to alter the club's plans to bolster their roster, even if the injury turns out to be serious. 

Sure, the Gunners could use a new winger at this stage of the game, particularly if Walcott's malady keeps him off the pitch for an extended period of time, but they've already been in the market for a new playmaking winger. 

Arsenal had been linked to Malaga's newly acquired winger Santi Carloza for much of the summer, and have also been closely linked to a move for Valencia's talented phenom Juan Mata. They were interested in finding help on the outside of their attack already this summer, and Walcott's injury simply makes them more likely to pursue Mata. 

After all, we don't know whether Walcott will be cleared to play immediately, or how often the injury could be aggravated when he returns. This could sap his effectiveness for a good chunk of the season, or it could be something he gets over either way. 

Wenger has expressed a desire to get another wing previously, and Walcott's injury will likely only heighten his desire to land a player like Juan Mata, who can create and score from the outside. Don't be surprised to hear that the Gunners are trying to wheel and deal with Valencia for the talented young Spaniard in the near future. 

But even Walcott's injury doesn't change Wenger's priorities enough to make wing supercede the defense on the needs list. The Gunners have excellent depth in the midfield, with promising young guns like Aaron Ramsey waiting in the wings to take over in case of injury. Meanwhile, the porous defense is still in need of help, and Wenger should focus more heavily on that before chasing a wing, even one as talented as Mata.

In the end, Walcott's injury is a cause for slight concern for the Gunners and their fans, but isn't a major worry in the transfer market. Wenger was already in the market for a winger, and Walcott's ailment only enhances that hunt. 

But his injury shouldn't make Wenger eschew a defensive stopper to find a winger, and with the depth the Gunners have in the midfield, they may not even need a new winger at all. 

You can expect to see the Gunners ramp up the intensity of their pursuit of Mata in the near future as a potential insurance policy for Walcott, but don't expect the Gunners' targets to change in the slightest overall.