Arsene Wenger oversaw his side add another pre-season trophy with the Emirates Cup on Sunday. He then went on to confirm that the forward Theo Walcott, who incidentally was the goal scorer, is close to signing a new contract with the Gunners.
The contract for the English forward expires at the end of next season and if there is no development on the new contract by January, Walcott will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs. However, Wenger appeared calm all through the time indicating every now and then that the situation is under control. He kept reminding that a deal worthy of the forward would be offered and eventually be signed; meaning all necessary steps be taken to keep the player at the club.
Though there were no indications of the talks, latest reports put that the discussions over a new four-year deal for the Englishman are progressing well. There are talks about a good rise for Walcott from his current £90,000 per week deal. Both the parties are supposed to be close to reaching an agreement and Wenger indicated the same yesterday.
“He’s not signed the contract yet, but we are getting closer and closer and hopefully we can finalize it very soon.” said Wenger.
The news comes as a boost for the supporters ahead of the new season. There are talks of Wenger being interested in signing a proven goal scorer. There were reports linking Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema to the club but there isn’t anything progressing on that front.
Wenger will be eager to test all the available options upfront to ease the burden on his central striker Olivier Giroud. Walcott may not have scored the goal from the central forward position but it is a position he is keen to fill on a regular basis.
On an entirely different note, Arsenal fans will be boosted by the fact that the Gunners keeper Wojciech Szczesny has announced on Instagram that he will join the Italian side Roma on a season-long loan. The finer details are being ironed out but it looks all set to be finalized, which means that David Ospina will remain as our cup keeper.
Szczesny lost his starting place in the Gunners XI to David Ospina last season following a series of poor performances and troubles off the pitch. And his position has become ever more untenable following the arrival of Petr Cech. This loan deal should serve him well and could give him regular game time.
The 25-year-old made more than 180 appearances for the club in all competitions and even lost his national place. He would be eager to reclaim that too and the move to Roma should help him.
Sridhar