Who was the best buy from Saints: Bale or Walnut?

All Gooners like to perpetrate the myth that Le Prof is the best scout in the business, buying up all the cheap young talent around Europe, and turning them into top footballers.

So, I thought I'd start a debate on a like-for-like basis.

Both players come from the Saints academy. Both players are British. Both players are wingers.

Those are the similarities. Now the differences.

One player has shown unabashed loyalty towards his adoptive club by signing a new contract, the other has well and truly shafted them. One player has turned out to be an intelligent footballer as well as an amazing athlete, the other still runs around like a headless chicken and pretends that he's a footballer. One has tried to be devious by cashing in on the fact that true superstars have left his club, and the other hasn't.

So, which one has been the best buy?

I want this to be an unbiased and wum-free debate, please

 

you call him Walnut...and then say you want this kept wum free?

you are a sick sick man Hiag!

 

I thought he called him a headless chicken.

 

This isn't even a debate.

Although Bale hasn't been good in 2012 he is still twice as good as Walcott.

Walcott is like Lennon, blistering pace but no end product and no footballing brain.

 

Walcott has constantly said he's not in his favoured position, plenty of Gooners agree themselves, he had a more central role as a youngster. To compare an out and out wide player with someone who isn't seems nothing other than a wum attempt Hiag.

 

I thought I gave a balanced overview of the two players

 

Still think Walcott's future is as a striker. He doesn't seem to have a great 'football brain' but he has knack of finishing well and popping up with a goal or two from the flank for l'Arse so I think he'd be effective there, more so than on the wing.

For me Bale is superior though, although they are actually a lot more different as players than some make out (particularly in the media). Bale is a winger who also scores a decent amount of goals. Walcott is, for me, a striker being played out of position, and he plays like that.

 

Walcott has been played out of position so it's probably a little harsh to judge them but I have no doubt in my mind Bale is a FAR superior player overall. Bale is a complete footballer, speed, skill, technique, can attack and defend and is no slouch in the air, Walcott is purely about pace.

On the current market (basing this on ability, age, amounts of what others have gone for and the fact they're British!!!) I'd say Bale is currently worth £40m+ where as Walcott could be picked up for around £10m-£15m.

 

Monkey Nuts thread with the usual unbiased fare assessment from HIAG.

 

To be fair Bale wasn't that great when you bought him, but he is a lot better than Walcott now.

 

He did have a good start for us, before getting habitually injured for a couple of seasons. Lucky for us (and him) that he didn't lose a yard or two of pace with his injrues.

 

Are you conveniantly ignoring the "Bale curse"??

 

The Bale Curse was really another example of The Comolli Curse more than anything else.

 

well whatever it was, it seems to have lingered around Anfield!

 

He was, he looked superb when he first joined, played a great game away to man utd, and then was putting a fab performance away to fulham, and he scored against the gooners with a free kick, this was when Jol was manager.

I think then injuries wrecked his season, and he only played a few games that year.

There was actually a point when spurs fans (some) turned on the guy as whenever he played, we never won.

Then he got his chance and was outstanding as a buccaneering left back/winger and was causing chaos on that left side, thats the Bale I miss, as he is struggling to have the same sort of impact now.

 

Bale has developed whereas Walcott hasn't. Walcott was rated far more highly than Bale when both were at Southampton.

Bale's form has dipped since the 10/11 season but he's still a decent player on his day. I think Oxlaide Chamberlain is potentially a better player than them both though.

 

oxo has inherited a lot of his Dad's skills.

 

Would that be playing for England when he shouldn't have done!

DL, give it a rest....I'll refrain from the appropriate smiley.

 

Who shouldn't have, Notso?
Oxlade-Chamberlain or his dad?

I wonder how many England players have also had a son get a full international cap?

 

Bale's performances have dropped because he's frequently surrounded by half of the opposition players, if they're not circling the wagons in front of their box.
He's not getting any space to work in and we need to make better use of the vast swathes of pitch which that frees up.
It'll be interesting to see if Naughton can become an effective threat by cutting inside into those gaps.