It was only 24-hours ago that it was reported that Theo Walcott could be on the brink of a move out of the Emirates Stadium. It was speculated that the England international had rejected a new deal from Arsenal and club officials were therefore looking to sell him. However, such issues now appear to be resolved and even though Walcott is yet to sign a new deal, it’s understood that he has given Arsene Wenger assurances about his future and this means that he won’t be sold during the current transfer window.
There has been intense speculation over Walcott’s future for the past few weeks, with the former Southampton winger’s current contract set to expire in 2013. The fact that the Gunners have appeared so relaxed in their negotiations has caused a frenzy of rumours and after the 23-year-old rejected a reported £75,000 per week deal yesterday, it was understood that Wenger was looking to sell him as quickly as possible. In fact, several sources had already claimed that Liverpool and Manchester City were preparing £15m deals to prize Walcott away before the close of this transfer window.
However, it has now come to light that the player probably will be staying at the Emirates Stadium. Even though the two parties have not yet agreed on the terms of a new contract, it’s understood that Walcott still wants to play at Arsenal and it won’t take too much financial persuasion to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer next summer. In fact, Wenger has supposedly become so convinced about the player’s future that he has told his board not to sell him, even though his value would plummet in January should a new contract not be agreed.
Even though Walcott is clearly a sought-after player, he is by no means a regular for the Gunners and started as a substitute in the most recent game against Stoke.
