Why Tomas Rosicky Is Arsenal's Ready-Made Theo Walcott Replacement

With the news that Theo Walcott has been ruled out for the remainder of the season for Arsenal, it has sent Gunners fans crazy over speculating who Arsene Wenger should buy to replace the England international.

While Wenger may well still go out and spend big in the January transfer window, a direct replacement for Walcott should not be at the very top of his agenda. Although there are no doubt plenty of exciting options out there for Arsenal fans to salivate over—he could well have the perfect replacement for Walcott on his doorstep.

It has been a difficult few seasons for Tomas Rosicky—both in terms of injury and sustaining form—but this season looks to be slightly different. With the Czech out of contract at the end of the season, he seems to be playing himself into contention for a new contract with the Gunners.

His impact on the side has been tremendous over the course of this campaign, and he still carries the top-level ability that persuaded Wenger to sign him from Borussia Dortmund way back in 2006.

Photo courtesy WhoScored.com

Per WhoScored.com, a quick scout over Rosicky's match stats suggests that he still remains extremely integral to Arsenal's plans this season. He appears to feature predominantly in Arsenal's supposed "big games," as he played the full 90 minutes against the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund.

At the age of 33, Wenger clearly still has faith in Rosicky to perform at the top level.

In fact, it is his age that should count in his favour when Wenger is looking for potential options to replace Walcott. The Gunners squad is blessed with a serious amount of youth and potential, but the likes of Rosicky can be vital in the crunch time of the season. Experience is just as vital as youth, and the guile and composure of the Czech will play a crucial role for Arsenal moving forward.

WhoScored.com's player characteristics for Rosicky also suggest he is quintessentially the perfect Arsenal midfielder. With strengths in dribbling, passing and through balls, he still possesses the creativity required to slot into a midfield with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. A passing accuracy of 84.4 in the Premier League also backs that up.

At the age of 33, many would be tempted to discard Rosicky at the end of the season and move forward with more youth. However, for now, the injury to Walcott has handed the Czech a golden opportunity to play his way into a new deal for Arsenal.