Walcott signs new Arsenal contract
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger receives a boost as agreement is reached between club and England forward Theo Walcott.
Theo Walcott’s drawn-out contract standoff with Arsenal ended Friday with the signing of a lucrative new contract.
The England forward could have left the club for free at the end of the season, but has agreed to a 3½-year deal that sees his salary rise by two-thirds to about $160,000 a week.
“I have made it clear from the start that I wanted to stay at Arsenal, so I am pleased we have agreed a deal that everyone is happy with,” Walcott said.
“What is important now is for the team to realise its potential and win trophies.”
Arsenal has not won a trophy since 2005, the year before Walcott joined from Southampton.
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“He joined us as a 16-year-old and since then has developed very well to become an extremely important player for both Arsenal and England” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger |
The uncertainty over Walcott’s future has coincided with the Gunners struggling in the Premier League, with the team currently sixth.
“Theo’s contract extension now gives us a strong nucleus of ambitious young players who have committed to the club and want to be successful with us as a group,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
Walcott has been granted his wish in recent matches to play as a center forward, and he is Arsenal’s leading scorer this season with 14 goals.
“He joined us as a 16-year-old and since then has developed very well to become an extremely important player for both Arsenal and England,” Wenger said.
“Theo is a strong player and also a great person, and the combination of his ability and pace always make him such a valuable asset either from the flanks or down the middle.”
Arsenal’s hopes of a trophy this season seem to rest with the FA Cup and Champions League, where the team faces Bayern Munich in the last 16 next month.