Theo Walcott hints that former club Arsenal should target Crystal Palace striker
Arsenal legend Theo Walcott has hinted to his former club that they should look to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after he netted a brace in their 2-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday.
Frenchman Mateta scored his ninth and 10th Premier League goals of the season with a second-half brace at Old Trafford.
Walcott, who also played for Everton and Southampton during his career, made 397 appearances for the Gunners.
Arsenal failed in an attempt to sign a striker in the January market, seeing a bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, 29, turned down.
Mateta, 27, is entering the final two years of his deal at Selhurst Park and is the joint-top scorer in the Premier League in 2025 alongside Nottingham Forest frontman Chris Wood.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 as a pundit, Walcott said: “Crystal Palace are really equipped to this system and they have a man up front in Mateta who is constantly a problem for defenders.
“He occupies them in the space which creates the areas for the number 10s to pick up the ball.
“He is happy to move into an offside position too – at no point at the centre-halves comfortable.
“He is always on the move and he can create an overload at the back post.
“He is a constant threat and he can do anything. He will run down the channels for balls which he can’t focus on, but he’s then on the half-turn and facing the ball.
“What I like about Mateta is that he’s constantly on the move and likes to start the press.
“The connections he has with the players behind him are so key.
“He’s a number nine who is playing with so much confidence.
“He has got that number 14 shirt which would look quite nice in a red [of Arsenal] as well.”