Theo Walcott's 12-year stay at Arsenal has come to an end, after he completed a £20m move to Everton earlier today.Walcott had joined the Gunners in January 2006 from Southampton, in a deal that ended up costing Arsene Wenger's men around £9m.He then famously was picked for England's 2006 World Cup in Germany by Sven-Goran Eriksson, despite not making a single Premier League appearance at that point.He would go on to have a hugely successful career in north London, playing 397 matches for the club, scoring 109 times in the process, which is a more than respectable record for a winger.Walcott struck 19 times in only 37 appearances for Arsenal last term, going on to win his third FA Cup winners' medal, having registered the opening goal two years previously in the 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa.However, his chances have been limited to mainly cup competitions for the Gunners this season, in what has been a largely disappointed campaign to date for both player and club.The 28-year-old has failed to start a single Premier League match, coming off the bench six times without getting a goal or an assist.And as he is approaching the latter stages of his career, he couldn't be begrudged the opportunity of first-team football at Goodison Park.

While Ross Barkley left Everton last week in acrimonious circumstances, he could learn a lesson or two from the Toffees' new number 11.

After the move was confirmed this evening, Walcott took to Instagram to post an emotional farewell message to Arsenal, showing his gratitude for everything they've done over the past 12 years.

It was a really nice touch from the winger, who will be looking to revitalise his England career on Merseyside ahead of the World Cup this summer, a competition he has amazingly still not played in.

And Arsenal's fans loved Walcott's post, and took to Twitter to thank him for his service at the Emirates.

There is clearly a lot of emotion from both sides of this transfer, but Walcott is making a brave move in order to get his career back on track, something which his former team-mate Olivier Giroud opted against in the summer.

It would be very interesting to see how both the player and the crowd reacts were he to score when Everton visit the Emirates in just over two weeks' time.