Theo Walcott has moved to quell talk about him falling out with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger over contract talks.
Walcott, 26, moved to the Emirates Stadium as a 16-year-old and has been nurtured by Wenger but after taking an eternity to sign his last deal with Arsenal, Wenger revealed last month that talks have already started to try and tie Walcott down to a new deal following his return from a horrific knee injury he suffered in January 2014.
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After spending a year on the sidelines since that injury, Walcott has cut a frustrated figure in recent matches for the Gunners and has scored three times in 13 appearances since his return.
He took to Twitter on Thursday to address the rumors that he’s had a “bust-up” with Wenger.
“I don’t normally comment on false stories about myself but reports about contract demands and bust-ups with the boss are complete nonsense,” Walcott said. “There have been no contract talks as yet and my current focus is not on contracts but on doing my best for Arsenal.”
Walcott’s current deal expires in 2016, when the speedy winger will be 27, and last month Wenger claimed Arsenal had started talks early with Walcott because he had been “difficult to convince” in the past and that “he is very quick on the pitch, but off the pitch not always.”
With Arsenal’s vast array of attacking talents including Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who can operate in wide areas, should Walcott hang tight on signing a new deal to see if he will play regularly at Arsenal moving forward?
It seems as though he’s happy at Arsenal, but maybe he’s buying some time as he enters the final 12 months of his current deal as plenty of suitors circle for the England international.