Latest news with #TheoWalcott
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Former Liverpool and Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana announces retirement
Adam Lallana has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 37. The midfielder's announcement comes as his contract with Southampton is set to expire at the end of June. Lallana has called time on a professional playing career that spanned almost two decades and saw him make 569 appearances. Advertisement In a statement, he said: 'As I call time on my playing career, I do so with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride. I could not be more appreciative of the opportunities I've been given and the support I've received along the way. 'You owe so much to so many on a journey like this, it's impossible to name everyone, but to all those please know how grateful I am. I couldn't have done it without you. 'It's crazy to think this all began in the last millennium, when I signed for the academy in 1999. Since making my professional debut in 2006, I realise l've been blessed to live the dream that millions of people share.' Lallana made 34 appearances for England, scoring three goals and appearing at the 2014 World Cup and the European Championship in 2016. Lallana came through Southampton's youth academy, alongside Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Nathan Dyer, Leon Best, and David McGoldrick. He went on to make his debut for the side aged 18 in 2006. After a short loan spell at Bournemouth in 2007, he established himself as a regular in Southampton's first team. Lallana helped Southampton earn promotion to the Premier League for the first time in seven years in 2012 and was named Southampton captain later that year. He then completed a £25million move to Liverpool in 2014, going on to make 178 appearances during his six seasons at the club. While at Liverpool, Lallana won four trophies, including the Premier League and the Champions League. Adam Lallana has today announced the end of his incredible playing career ❤️ — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 25, 2025 Upon the expiry of his Liverpool contract in the summer of 2020, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer, where me made 104 appearances during his four seasons at the club. Lallana returned to Southampton on a free transfer in the summer of 2024, but injury issues resulted in him making just 18 appearances in all competitions in his second spell. Across his two spells at Southampton, he scored 60 goals and provided 47 assists in 283 appearances, and he ended his time at Southampton as part of the coaching staff under interim head coach Simon Rusk. (Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England's latest generation of stars are hungrier than ever to dominate, feels Lee Carsley... as U21s boss outlines Germany and Spain similarity
Lee Carsley believes England's conveyor belt of young players is now producing groups of winners who are determined to dominate at every single age group. Former England winger Theo Walcott questioned how seriously England took international football compared to other nations. But Carsley, who was speaking prior to the Under-21's second Euros group game against Slovenia on Sunday, believes this current generation are cut from a different cloth. 'I think that's definitely a generational thing,' he said when referencing the German Under-21 team that won the Euros in 2009 before winning the World Cup five years later. 'Years ago that German team, they went through to the senior team and then done so well and it was the same with Spain. 'Hopefully the 21s from the last campaign can be that kind of team.' He continued: 'Winning one tournament is great but it's the dominating bit that we want to get better at. 'There is a big difference between hope and belief. I feel that we are producing a generation of English players that believe that they can win and they can do really well in these tournaments. 'But it starts from those building blocks with making sure first and foremost we qualify from the group and then trying to build on that.' On the men's side, England are involved in major competitions at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level this summer and they all boast strong prospects across all three. Having won the Euros two years ago for the first time in 39 years, a lot of the focus is on going back-to-back with a squad that has only two faces in it from the 2023 group. But for Carsley there is no divine right that England should win because they are England. 'I think from an Under-21 point of view, we won it in 1982, won it in 1984, hadn't won it before then. 'Won it again in 2023 and so I don't think we should ever have an expectation of, "Oh, England should win that" because our past would prove that we haven't. 'I definitely feel that this generation of players, and not only this group but in terms of the 17s and 19s who are all involved in major competitions this summer, I spoke about it before, the level of player coming through there is definitely a conveyor belt of players that aren't happy just to be here. 'I definitely feel in their minds they have come here to win.' England Under-21's face Slovenia in their second group game on Sunday afternoon knowing victory would book their place in the quarter-finals.
New York Times
14-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Theo Walcott on England's striker shortage: ‘It's a sad, sad way we're going'
The future of the English No 9 has been on Theo Walcott's mind this summer. The former Arsenal and England forward believes that the shortage of strikers being produced in his home country could be detrimental in the long run, and has concerns about domestic football being too 'predictable'. While Harry Kane extended his record as the men's top scorer with his 73rd international goal against Senegal, the under-21s have travelled to the European Championship in Slovakia without a recognised striker. Liam Delap was part of the preliminary squad but, after joining Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30million ($41m), his attentions have turned to the Club World Cup instead — a move, as an Arsenal fan, Walcott admits 'worries' him. Advertisement Asked for his thoughts on England's lack of centre-forwards, Walcott said: 'I don't like it. I always feel that it shows where we are as a country because we can't find a No 9 to play in a system. 'For instance, the other day when Morgan Rogers came on (in the seniors' 3-1 defeat against Senegal), he was non-existent in a position he is not used to, even though he's a very good player. He likes to drive with the ball, so why have players in positions where they are not used to playing? 'The perfect example who has really adapted themselves in that position as a false nine is Ousmane Dembele (of Paris Saint-Germain and France). Obviously, he's a lot more experienced, but we haven't got a player like Dembele. You could get away with it in this Under-21 Euros but in the long run, I'm not a big believer in not having No 9s. 'I'm not sure why we can't develop them anymore and it's a sad, sad way we're going. I'm a big believer in getting it out wide, dribbling one-v-one, crossing it and seeing some headed goals. When do we see that now? We barely do. You just know they'll go inside. It's starting to become too predictable.' Walcott is mostly remembered as a winger despite having spells up front and says, 'You can get quite bored up front if you're playing as a false nine or as a 'No 10' (attacking midfielder).' He recognises 'everyone wants to be a No 10 because it's the glamour position' but says it is an out-and-out No 9 for whom fans tend to clamour. 'When people speculate, clubs look for a No 9 and the fans get upset or confused saying, 'Why can't we find a No 9?',' says Walcott, who will be part of Channel 4's coverage of England Under-21s' final group game against Germany on June 18. 'It's really hard to find them because everyone wants to be that really predictable player… those who like to come inside. Advertisement 'Strikers are selfish, they just want to score goals. But now, all of a sudden, the wingers are starting to get more selfish because they want to cut in and do their thing. They're not connecting like they once did. 'That's why Delap going to Chelsea worries me as an Arsenal fan. I know they have been going for that No 9, that Didier Drogba type, it's that curse of the No 9. Delap can break that curse because he's a really good striker. He's the next one after Harry Kane for England.' Arsenal are pursuing strikers, including RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres, but Walcott, who played alongside Thierry Henry, Olivier Giroud, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie at the Emirates, rates Delap very highly. '(It) disappoints me as an Arsenal fan if you don't go after someone like that,' he says. 'You can see it in him as well, you can see his fight. He doesn't care who he plays against.' Walcott is, however, encouraged by the experience in Lee Carsley's England Under-21 squad. Thirteen of the 23 players are aged 22 and have plenty of Premier League, Championship, Ligue 1 and Serie A games in their legs already. Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri is the youngest player, having turned 18 in March — and he made 37 first-team appearances last season. Walcott was a shock call-up to the England senior squad for the 2006 World Cup, aged just 17. He did not get off the bench at the tournament but made his under-21 debut shortly afterwards. 'I was in the first team environment for England knowing that I didn't deserve to be there,' he admits. 'These guys (in 2025), quite a few deserve to have a chance with the senior team already. When I went to the under-21s, it was a bit of a relief because I knew that the first team was too much for me at that time.' With many hopeful that they can make a good impression ahead of next summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Walcott knows the importance of not just impressing on the pitch in this environment. Advertisement 'It's the full package that they're looking at now,' he says.'You could be the best trainer but you might not really involved in the day-to-day things. I would shut myself in the room at times. It was very different. I couldn't really relate to the players I was with (in the senior squad) because of the age gap. So that's the side of it which I had to manage in my own way. At times, I'd lock myself away and get on with things. 'I was only 17, so I was still learning about myself at that age while being thrust into an environment that I'm not quite used to. These guys, they're going to have to tick a lot of boxes by doing the right things every minute when they're on show.' By the time Walcott was part of the squad that went to the 2009 Under-21 European Championship, he was 20, had played three full seasons for Arsenal and been given Henry's old No 14 shirt. He wanted to be part of the squad despite Arsene Wenger's wishes and scored in the semi-final penalty shootout against hosts Sweden, before starting up front for the first time in the final because Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor was suspended. England were facing a Germany Under-21 side that included future senior World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Benedikt Howedes, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil. They lost 4-0 and Walcott came away with a strong lasting impression of a group that would go on to win the World Cup five years later in Brazil. 'These guys felt older than their age,' Walcott recalls. 'This is what I'm talking about with this England team. They seem older, and that's a good thing. They'll have more experience and it was the same with that German team. You could tell they fed off our energy. They treated it so professionally, which just showed, if you do all the right things, good things will happen — and of course, many of them won the World Cup. 'The Germans are so serious and sometimes we're not as serious. That's a shift we need to make and you could sense that against Senegal the other day. We didn't seem serious because it's a friendly and everyone wants to go on holiday. We need to start being more serious, particularly at international level.' Advertisement That mentality showed as Carlsley's side opened their tournament with a 3-1 win against the Czech Republic, the first of all the England Under-21 games Channel 4 is showing live on UK television. Nwaneri came off the bench for the defending champions, nutmegged his opposite man and had a shot deflected behind. A flurry of corners then saw Charlie Cresswell add England's third goal of the night. 'If you go into it and win this tournament, who knows where it will take these guys?' says Walcott. 'You want winners in a team, no matter what level, and if this squad wins this, other players will feed off that and grow to become better players, people and leaders. It's so important.'
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England must start taking international football more serious, warns Theo Walcott... as ex-Three Lions star outlines key trait U21s must show to break into Thomas Tuchel's side
Theo Walcott has a few things he wants to get off his chest, the first being his belief that England don't take international football as serious as their biggest rivals. In an illuminating chat, Walcott casts his mind back to the 2009 Under-21 European Championships final when he started in a losing effort against a star-studded Germany side. 'You could tell they fed off our energy,' Walcott said. 'When they got one and then two, you could see they didn't want to take their foot off it. 'They treated it so professionally which just showed if you do all the right things, good things will happen, and of course they won the World Cup [in 2014]. 'If you go into it and win this [Under-21] tournament, who knows where it will take these guys? You want winners in a team no matter what level, and if this squad wins this, other players will feed off that and grow to become better players, people and leaders. It's so important.' But there is a wider point that Walcott extrapolates out beyond this current iteration of Lee Carsley 's Under-21s, who started their Euros title defence on Thursday night with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. 'The Germans are so serious and sometimes we're not as serious,' he added. 'That's a shift we need to make and you could sense that against Senegal the other day [in the seniors]. 'We didn't seem serious because it's a friendly and everyone wants to go on holiday. We need to start being more serious, particularly at international level.' The second point of order for Walcott is the intangibles that will see players graduate from Carsley's group into Thomas Tuchel's in time for the 2026 World Cup. Setting standards on the pitch alone won't be enough, Walcott insists. 'I think it's really valuable and important to be in good habits and to actually grab that opportunity and think: actually, this is really important,' Walcott, who is working as a pundit for Channel 4 during the Under-21 Euros this month, said. 'I think if you go into it half-heartedly, anything you do, maybe you're not going to fail, but you're not going to really enjoy it, right? 'I understand talking on the field is a cliche, but I actually get the sense that if you want to be in the first team now, in Thomas Tuchel's team, going to the World Cup, you need a little bit more, like really going into it. It's very different, I feel. 'It's the full package now that they're looking at.' There are introverted characters across the seniors and the Under-21s these days and while there is not one shoe that fits all - as a young player Walcott would shut himself away so he speaks from his own experience - being a key cog off the pitch, as well as on it, is taking on added significance. 'You could be the best trainer but also if you're not really involved in the day-to-day things, [like] if you just shut yourself away in the room…' he said. 'And I would shut myself in the room at times. It was very different for me. I couldn't really relate to the players I was with [in the seniors] because of the age gap. So that's the side of it which I had to manage in my own way. 'At times I'd lock myself away and get on with things. And maybe it was the right or wrong thing, I don't know, but for me at that time of my development, I was only 16, 17, so I was still learning about myself then at that age of being thrust into an environment which I'm not quite used to. 'These guys, I feel, they're going to have to tick a lot of boxes by doing the right things every minute when they're on show. 'That's really important because you can look at the likes of Jordan Henderson in the first team environment, people think, yeah, he's gone [to Saudi Arabia], da-da-da. 'But, his behaviour, everything about his attitude on a day-to-day basis speaks volumes. It's the reason why he's still playing for England. Even Kyle Walker — it's the same principles. 'Having these guys is really important and treating every second when you're on show is to be professional. I think that's the habit you need to be in. You can't just talk on the pitch. 'Everyone knows what the guys are going to do on the pitch and they want to go out and win, of course, but they're going to see the other bits of how they interact with each other, how they make connections and how they bond. 'If there's any sense that there's a group or environment that isn't great, they won't be at the tournament because they don't want any disruption. So I think it's important, you need to be careful, make sure you do the things away from the field properly. I'm sure they will.' Carsley kickstarted this Euros title defence with a 4-2-2-2 striker-less system that operated off instinct and fluidity with a wealth of No 10s interchanging. The absence of Liam Delap, who Walcott sees as the perfect profile to break Chelsea's supposed striker 'curse', was not keenly felt in the win over Czech Republic but the lack of strikers to call on is emblematic of a wider problem in English football for Walcott. 'I don't like it,' Walcott added. 'I always feel that it shows where we are as a country because we can't find a No 9 to play in a system. 'For instance, I'll give you an example from the other day when Morgan Rogers came on [for the seniors], he was non-existent. 'He likes to drive with the ball, so why have players in positions where they are not used to? Yeah you might get the best out of other players because of this player and this role and it can drag players away… the perfect example who has really adapted themselves in that position as a false nine is [Ousmane] Dembele. Obviously he's a lot more experienced, I get it, but we haven't got a Dembele. 'I think the No 9 side of things is a problem going into a tournament. You could get away with it in this one particularly but in the long run I'm not a big believer in not having nines.' The lack of No 9s and an influx of No 10s is making players, not just with England but in the game today, too 'predictable', another bug bear of Walcott's 'Everyone wants to be that really predictable player,' he said. 'When I say predictable I mean likes to come inside. Strikers are selfish, they just want to score goals. But now all of a sudden the wingers are starting to get more selfish because they want to cut in and do their thing. They're not connecting like they did in the first place. 'Then everyone wants to be No 10s because it's the glamour position where you still need to work but can have that maverick feel about yourself. 'The social media side of things, obviously people with what they see on YouTube of these guys in these positions, they're going to feed off that. 'When I was coming through I didn't bother looking at videos or anything like that. I just wanted to go out and play. And I just feel that's the side of it now. We've seen these guys in short clips, in good areas of the field, doing things and all the kids want to play there. Of course they do. You don't see the big No 9s, the Delaps. 'That's why it worries me as an Arsenal fan, Delap going to Chelsea. I know they have been going for that No 9, that Drogba type, it's that curse of the No 9. 'I feel like he can break that curse because he's a really good striker. He's the next one after Harry Kane for me. That's how much I like him as an English person but it disappoints me as an Arsenal fan if you don't go after someone like that. 'You can see it in him as well, you can see his fight. He doesn't care who he plays against. That's a side of it we're missing as well from No 9s. 'I'm not sure why we can't develop anymore and it's a sad, sad way we're going. I'm a big believer in getting it out wide, dribbling one versus one, crossing it and seeing some headed goals. 'When do we see that now? We barely see it. You just know they'll go inside. It's starting to become too predictable.' No Delap and no striker is how Carsley and Co will look to defend their Euros title. For Walcott, he just wants to see an England team put their foot on the gas and be serious against the biggest nations. It's over to the Under-21s to show this next generation are cut from a different cloth to those who came before.
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Ex-Liverpool and Premier League talent guru Malcolm Elias who was behind rise of Trent Alexander and Gareth Bale dies
FORMER Premier League talent spotter and academy recruitment expert Malcolm Elias has passed away aged 71, it has been announced. Fulham FC confirmed Elias' passing in a statement on social media. 1 The post read: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Malcolm Elias, after a short illness. "The Club's Head of Academy Recruitment, Malcolm had a fantastic reputation in football for unearthing and nurturing young talent. "A proud Welshman, Malcolm was approaching his 16th anniversary at Craven Cottage this summer, having joined us from Liverpool in July 2009, while he also previously enjoyed a highly successful spell at Southampton alongside future Fulham colleagues Huw Jennings and Steve Wigley. "The influence that Malcolm had on the modern game cannot be understated, having worked with and developed the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Luke Harris and Jay Stansfield, to name but a few. "A hugely popular figure around the training ground, Malcolm will be sorely missed by all who knew him. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula - Malcolm's ever devoted and endlessly supportive wife of nearly 50 years - his sons Andrew and Daniel, his six beloved grandchildren, as well as his additional family and friends." Elias was always highly respected within football, having helped to identify and nurture some of the Premier League's best young talents. The academy recruitment expert previously worked with Liverpool before joining Fulham in 2009 - helping the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott get their breakthroughs. Prior to his time on Merseyside Elias worked with Southampton, where he had an impact on the early emergence of the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and Gareth Bale. Tributes for the iconic figure have started pouring in as the football world mourns the loss. QPR posted: "We're so sorry for your loss. "Sending sincere condolences to Malcolm's loved ones and all at Fulham." While Oxford United, where Elias worked as an Academy Manager in the 1980s, posted: "Oxford United were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Malcolm Elias. "A former teacher in Blackbird Leys, Malcolm began working at United in the 80's as an Academy Manager. "A much loved person and coach at the Club for more than a decade, Malcolm is an integral part of the Club's history, helping bring through talents such as Joey Beauchamp. "Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time. RIP." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
