Arsenal 7 Newcastle United 3: It says everything about Theo Walcott that he can score a hat-trick and create two other goals yet still not settle the argument as to whether he is best deployed as a centre-forward or a winger.

And it says a lot about Arsenal that despite Walcott’s feat and the fact that Olivier Giroud came close to matching it in just a quarter of an hour on the pitch against Newcastle, there is still a widespread view that Arsene Wenger urgently needs a striker such as Demba Ba. “Let’s keep those we have, that is the first target,” answered Wenger when asked whether he would make a move for a new centre-forward as soon as the transfer window opens in January.

That was a reference to his desire to secure a new pledge of allegiance from Walcott, who continues to haggle over a proposed extension to his contract that expires in the summer.

The 23-year-old showcased his exceptional talents in spectacular style against Newcastle, yet Ba demonstrated some of the skills that Walcott still lacks and showed why Wenger is considering further investment.

Devastating speed

Walcott does some things wonderfully. His speed has always been devastating and his finishing has improved immensely, as exemplified by a trio of perfectly-placed strikes here. But while he is sharp enough to serve as a spearhead and certainly more deadly than Gervinho, he is not strong and savvy enough to be a fulcrum for attacks, unlike Ba, who led the line superbly against Arsenal in addition to scoring twice.

The Senegalese has a £7 million release clause in his contract and Wenger, like Chelsea and others, seems tempted to spring it. Even if Walcott does commit his future to the club Arsenal could still do with a forward of Ba’s proven power to be used when Walcott’s dash is best deployed out wide.

Wenger declared himself impressed by Ba’s “movement and his strength in the challenges as well, and up in the air” but added that “he is a similar type to Giroud and you will see Giroud develop into that kind of player”.

More accustomed

The question is whether Arsenal would benefit from having that kind of player right now while Giroud, who has clearly been getting more accustomed to the Premier League and came off the bench to score two fine goals here and also hit the crossbar, pursues his development, especially as Ba may be available for a bargain price.

All Alan Pardew can do, meanwhile, is hope that Wenger and others decide against taking the plunge. “Demba is out of my hands, there is nothing I can do about it so what will be will be,” said the Newcastle manager with pained fatalism. The size of Arsenal’s win may play into Pardew’s hands if it helps convince Wenger that Arsenal’s are finding consistency and therefore should not add another new player to a formula that has now yielded four league wins in a row.

“People have been very impatient with us, we have rebuilt the team and we started well and after that we stuttered,” he says.

“Now we have come back. We had to rebuild the team and we have done it. It demands some understanding. How good we are will be decided in the next four or five months. It is not over yet, be patient. We can be better”.

Guardian Service