Throw my pennies worth in.
I'm disappointed he looks set to leave as I think he has massive potential. I'm also glad we gave it a go because it shows Silva/Brands could see that and decided he's worth a look at and we'll make just as much as we would have last season.
Now he made the odd cameo, showed flashes of his skill etc, nothing close enough to replace the established quality of Bernard...alongside his work rate and tenacity. And them two final points are Lookmans downfall imo. He never seemed to bust his balls on the pitch, well as much as Gylfi, Richarlison, Bernard, Gueye and DCL (in the end) do. They are all selfless in working to win the ball back . Now I don't believe Silva and Brands are massive fans of Walcott but he seems a decent lad who is professional and trains hard. I think Silva used Walcott as a bit of an example for Lookman. Something along the lines of, "you train as hard as him and you'll get as many chances as he does", same could be said of the others I've mentioned.
I think Silva has also, cleverly imo, used Lookman as a bit of an example to the rest of the team and the youth. No matter how good you may think you are, if you don't match it with effort you will not make the team and inevitably find your way to the exit door.
I really hope Lookman sorts his career out and makes the left wing position his own for England in a few years. However, it was time to cut our losses and reinvest in someone hungry to succeed.