Arsenal ace Theo Walcott has paid tribute to Southampton's academy.

Walcott believes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's emergence, together with the impressive form of Tottenham's Gareth Bale, is clear proof of their success in developing players.

"Imagine if the whole team had stayed together, it would be fantastic," the 22-year-old told arsenal.com. "It's just a sign that they do things right - they are such a great family club.

"They look after their players and it shows, especially with how Gareth [Bale] is playing at this moment in time.

"Southampton was a great start for me and the other boys but not just for us - there is also Nathan Dyer and Andrew Surman [at Swansea and Norwich]. I could keep on going with that list. It's just nice to see."