Arsenal’s chairman Peter Hill-Wood has revealed they have offered contract rebel Theo Walcott a lucrative deal already and they will not pay excessive amounts for the player.
Walcott’s deal expires next summer meaning he could leave on a free transfer at the end of this season, or a more likely scenario – he is sold on the cheap in the January window.
The England international has reportedly turned down a new deal worth £75,000 a week, making him one of the highest players in the side, however his representatives have turned down any such deal.
Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood believes his club will not alter or break their wage structure to play the 23-year-old an excessive amount, meaning the upcoming expected contract talks could well break down again.
Hill-Wood told the Daily Star:
We have got our general overall wage structure and we are not prepared to break it for anybody.
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We have made an offer which he didn’t think was acceptable and that is the end of it. We think it is a very reasonable offer.
For the moment his people are still talking to us and we hope it will be resolved. But don’t ask me when, because I haven’t a clue.
I hope that he will eventually come round and sign. It will be a pity if he does not, but the whole issue of pay for footballers has got totally out of hand and they don’t get terribly well advised a lot of the time.
Walcott had previously expressed the delay in a new contract was football related as he is after guarantees that he will get game time as a centre forward. Whether this is still the case or if his agent is the one fishing for more money remains to be seen, but regardless he needs to sign a new deal and soon.
His playing time has been reduced among all the speculation and he will never be a centre forward unless he produces consistency out wide. If it is money he is after and is not willing to be receive a whopping £75,000 a week then go warm the bench at City or Chelsea and see how many chances you get as a striker there!
But personally I hope he signs a fresh deal soon as he has a big future ahead of him at the Emirates. He is only 23 years old and with Cazorla in the side he will be able to beat any defender to the threaded through balls the Spaniard likes to make, similarly to when Fabregas was in the side. He will become a dangerous centre forward in due course, but first he will require to prove he can perform consistently and sign a new contract.
What are your thoughts on Walcott’s contractual situation? Feel free to comment below or in the allArsenal forums under the Englishman’s thread.
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