Walcott makes BBC Match of the Day vow as ex-Arsenal star prepares for debut

Theo Walcott makes his Match of the Day debut this weekend and reckons “I will be a different kind of sports pundit”.

The former England international retired from playing in August 2023, joined BBC Sport’s team of analysts for the new season and was part of the coverage at Euro 2024.

He will make his first MOTD appearance of the season on Saturday night, and will also be working on the BBC’s new MOTD Champions League programme, which begins next week.

Speaking on his new role, Walcott says: “I will always like to bring a positive outlook and the insights of how I as a player would have responded in that way when a certain situation happens. I would really look at it in depth, the fact that it could be simple, like body position, or shirt pulling, something that could have just really disrupted a certain situation happening.

“We all look at TV and say ‘he should have scored that’ – but do we actually really break it down? Then try to take a look at why has he not hit the target?

“I am going to be that kind of pundit I suppose and see if it works for me.”

Walcott, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006 before infamously being taken to the World Cup that same year by Sven-Goran Eriksson, is also tipping his former club to win the title this term ahead of four-in-a-row champs Manchester City.

Walcott added: “I have said Arsenal will win the league – and they are going to have to be exceptional to win the league.

“The way Manchester City have started, they have just wiped people to the floor and they have the fear factor now that when they walk on the field, the (opposition) players and their fans are terrified.

“I would, though, be worried as a league that we don’t want it to be a one-horse race – we have got to be wary of Liverpool as well of course, they have started exceptionally well.”