Theo Walcott has never quite evolved into the world-class attacking threat he was once heralded to become when drafted into England's 2006 World Cup squad at just 17 years of age.

There's always been something a little too simplistic about the Arsenal winger-forward for such global elite status, typified by Alan Hansen's critique of him 'lacking a football brain' in August 2010.

Those comments proved to be impeccably poor timing on the BBC pundit's part; since the start of that season, Walcott has gone on to claim 41 goals and 29 assists in 122 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, resulting in Hansen effectively rescinding his remarks upon retiring as a Match of the Day regular last summer.

The 26 year-old's goal in the FA Cup final on Saturday alone produced enough evidence to suggest otherwise. A teenage Walcott would have charged into the penalty box as Nacho Monreal launched a cross from the left-hand side, hedging his bets and hoping the law of averages would see his blistering pace result in a goal, like atoms crashing together in the Hadron Collider. But instead, the England winger waited on the peripheries of the action before timing his run perfectly to convert an Alexis Sanchez knockdown.

Yet, Hansen's comments are still understandable - if not, a tad cynical considering Walcott's youth at the time. The Gunners goalscorer lacks that ingenuity; that spark; that ability to create something football fans haven't seen before; in the same manner as an Eden Hazard, an Alexis Sanchez or a David Silva, and at 26 years of age it's unlikely he ever will.

But in essence, Walcott's simplicity doesn't really matter, because it's continually proven to be effective in the Premier League. That aforementioned haul is just one goal shy of Gareth Bale's return from his 146 appearances in the top flight, and makes him in some way responsible for 0.6 goals per game.

To give some comparison, Danny Welbeck has contributed to just 0.3 goals per game in the Premier League during that same time period,  Alexis Sanchez has contributed to 0.7 goals per league outing this season and Chelsea's Eden Hazard, the PFA Player of the Year widely considered to be the best attacking threat in the Premier League, has contributed 0.6 goals per appearance throughout his career in the English top flight.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. And although Walcott's basic combination of pace, netting prowess and predatory instincts may not be the to the taste of those somewhat more snobbish, or for that matter, particularly maintaining the theme of Arsenal's technically demanding build-up play, his consistent output speaks for itself.

Which is exactly why, in my opinion, the Gunners should be doing whatever they can to extend Walcott's contract past the end of next season. There are perhaps more superior options on the market this summer, such as Barcelona's Pedro or Borussia Dortmund's Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, but the prevailing motivation for Arsene Wenger should be the fear of Walcott representing another Premier League club.

The vast majority - if not all 19 - would be more than happy to take him this summer. After all, he belongs to an ever-extincting breed of home-grown goalscorers, he can play out wide or centrally and his lightening pace can turn even the most speculative of angled long balls into a chance at goal. It may be a somewhat attritional approach but it also makes the Three Lions forward adaptable to virtually any style of play - be it Burnley's or Barcelona's.

In a nutshell, Walcott's a match-winner - perhaps not in the same way as some of the continent's biggest names, but a match-winner nonetheless - and regardless of his individual style's limited sophistication, match-winners are worth their weight in gold in the Premier League; a division where every fixture, every goal and every mistake can have a huge impact on a club's future.

Whether they're staving off relegation or fighting for the title, no Premier League side is in a position to turn down having one more in their squad.

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