Walcott relishing a new type of pre-season tour | Feature | News
He may now be retired, but Theo Walcott is back in the thick of a pre-season tour once again - relieved that his boots are well and truly hung up, rather than being used for never-ending laps of a training pitch.
The Gunners legend is following the team on their three-game tour of the USA as a club ambassador alongside former teammate Gilberto, and is enjoying his first full summer off in over two decades. Having embarked on a family road trip down the west coast of the country, he is now in Los Angeles ready to see what the current incumbents of the red and white jerseys can do over the coming days.
It’s a much more leisurely experience than he’s used to at this time of year, having spent the best part of two decades representing England at major tournaments, or building and maintaining fitness levels to be sharp for another season of Premier League football. Watching our current crop push themselves in sunshine-filled training sessions, he lets out a wry chuckle.
“The training is always hard, I don’t really miss it!” Theo laughs. “Right at the start of my career, you wouldn’t see the ball for a few days, but now it’s all about disguised running. All players want to do is get the ball at their feet and they’ll run as well. I think pre-season is better for it. The players keep ticking over in the summer period and that sets a precedent - they always want to look after themselves.”
Theo travelled the globe as an Arsenal player, taking in places such as Vietnam, Australia, the US, China, Hong Kong and Indonesia to name a few, meeting Gooners from all over the world and enjoying the sights and cultures of far-flung lands.
Fitness levels and match sharpness were the most vital aims from those tours, but one thing Theo thinks is a huge benefit from the time away is the camaraderie fostered between the squad, and is a vital factor going into the domestic schedule.
“I always found pre-season tours exciting because I felt there was a lot less pressure on the players and it was a space to get to know your teammates in a different environment,” he added. “Instead of getting to know the player on the pitch, you get to know them personally as well, and that helps on the pitch and build relationships.
“I always feel for the guys who have kids as you go a long period of time without them. The one benefit is that you can train and not get distracted, but the time difference is always difficult and you can get players who get homesick which is understandable. But that’s why it’s important to keep busy, whether it’s training or in the gym, or socialising. There was always so much for us to do on pre-season, but you remember you’re there to do a job.
“We treated pre-season really seriously and didn’t just go through the motions. I always used to enjoy the flight and chatting with the players on the plane and at the hotels and playing video games and cards with them.”
One player that Theo would have spent plenty of time with on these tours is Mikel Arteta, someone whose company he thoroughly enjoyed as they jetted around the world together. “I think I’ve got some photos on my phone of me and Mikel on tour playing games in an arcade!” Theo laughs.
“He was great, he was very serious and straight to the point and you always sensed that he would be a manager and lead someday. I thought he was a man you wanted to play with, and play for at some point. Being older than me, I looked up to him and even though I was an established player, it was nice to take a little bit from how he was off the field.
“The managers that Mikel has worked with and the players that he’s played with, he’s learnt so much from and is feeding it into this younger generation who will just take on that knowledge. You’re going to want to perform for him and it’s shown in the league performances.
“When I was at Arsenal I thought we were incredible, we were in the Champions League every year and challenging for the title, but not like this team are now. They are more serious contenders every year, especially the last couple and that’s credit to Mikel and his staff and everyone at the club who have changed the culture of what Arsenal should be.”
Our continued success has seen our popularity grow around the world, and especially in America as soccer continues to enjoy a boom this side of the Atlantic. Theo feels that isn’t going to end anytime soon.
“It’s incredible how early the fans over here get up to watch the games, sometimes at 4am or even earlier to watch Arsenal,” he mused. “They’re so passionate so it’s nice we get up close and personal with them and they can see us play and train a bit.
“Soccer over here is catching up. The 2026 World Cup is going to be an incredible spectacle. I think Qatar did incredibly well but I think the States will blow it out of the water, so I think that’s influenced their leagues. They’ve got Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and people who have played at the highest level coming to the States and still performing.
“That’s put soccer on the map here. You’ll start seeing younger players coming out here as the lifestyle and culture is different. It’s not a bad space to be in - it’s just a lot of travelling!”
That was something Theo was accustomed to as a Gunner, but now as he watches on from the stands, he can really enjoy the benefits of being a tourist.
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