10/07/2020
Theo Walcott has admitted he will probably cry when he once again pulls on a Southampton shirt after completing a season-long loan move back to the south coast.
The 31-year-old Everton striker launched his professional career with the Saints, making his senior debut at the age of 16 under then manager Harry Redknapp.
However, he has found himself surplus to requirements at Goodison Park under Carlo Ancelotti and jumped at the chance to return.
He said: “I had a few opportunities from other clubs, but as soon as Southampton came in for me, it’s part of me and has made me into the player I am. It’s in my heart.
“I will probably cry, I bet, when I first play, and it means so much. All the people that made it happen, I can’t thank them enough. Honestly, I’m so pleased.
“I was seriously lost for words when Southampton came on the table, and for me it was such an easy decision.
“To get the chance to work with the manager as well and these young players that are coming through, I feel like I’ve made the right choice.”
Walcott emerged from the ranks at Southampton to become the club’s youngest ever senior player, making his first start at Leeds in October 2005.
Just months later, he was heading for Arsenal in a £5million January move and the England international spent 12 years in North London before the Toffees invested £20million in his services in January 2018.
Ancelotti’s summer spending spree saw him slip down the pecking order and prompted his temporary exit, but the man himself is confident he still has much to offer.
