Theo Walcott believes Mikel Arteta will not be pleased with Eberechi Eze after the Arsenal substitute chose to take a long-range shot at the end of Friday evening’s win over Coventry City.
Arsenal won 2-0, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring before halftime and Martin Odegaard adding a third goal early in the second half. The result kept Arsenal moving as they continue defending their Premier League crown, and Walcott said the match also showed the standard Arteta expects from his players in every phase of the game.
What Walcott said about Eze
During Premier League Productions coverage, Walcott pointed to the late moment involving Eberechi Eze and suggested it was the kind of decision Arteta would notice. “Eze having that shot at the end… I’m not sure he [Arteta] will be happy with that,” Walcott said.
Walcott’s point was not simply about one shot. He also stressed that Arsenal have a deep squad, and that players who come on as substitutes are trying to prove they deserve a place in the starting line-up. In his view, those late minutes are a chance to make an impression and show Arteta, “don’t forget about me.”
Why the moment mattered
That is part of the challenge inside a squad built to compete at the top. Even in a comfortable win, habits and decision-making still matter. Walcott said creating a winning mentality is important because once those habits take hold, they are hard for other teams to break.
He also said Arsenal were given a chance to make changes, but those substitutions came with responsibility. The message was clear: if a player comes on, the job is to help the team manage the game, not just chase a personal moment.
Walcott added that he likes Eze a lot and said the player reminds him of Alexis. That praise sat alongside the warning, which made the observation more about standards than criticism. For Arsenal, that is the sort of detail that can matter when the squad is fighting for starting roles early in the season.
