Theo Walcott will discuss where he is to be used and how often as part of his contract talks with Arsenal
Advisors for Walcott, who has just a year left on his £90,000-a-week deal, will finally sit down with the Gunners this week to talk about a new long-term agreement.
As well as seeking more game time, however, the 26-year-old England forward is keen to find a balance between playing out wide and up front with recent displays strengthening his case.
It is an issue that also surfaced during Walcott’s last contract negotiations.
He is set to make it clear in this week’s discussions that he is NOT pushing to play as the main striker in every game.
The former Southampton starlet accepts he is better suited in wider areas, while Arsenal’s first-choice frontman, Olivier Giroud, has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season.
Walcott does, however, feel that, in a certain number of games, he has the ability to be a threat down the middle and believes a balance can be struck.
His claims have been helped by his sparkling hat-trick against West Brom - a game in which he played as the main striker - on the final day of the Premier League season.
That performance saw him force his way into the FA Cup Final starting line-up where he justified his inclusion with the stunning first goal in Arsenal’s 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday.
After the win over West Brom, Baggies boss Tony Pulis said: “Walcott up front? I think Walcott is outstanding as a front player. His movement is absolutely first class.
“You know he is going to score goals. I don’t care what anybody says, with the quality that Arsenal have got you could play with him or Olivier Giroud up front and still be very, very potent.”
Both Arsenal and Walcott’s advisors remain relaxed over his contract situation and confident that a deal can be reached.
Before that start against West Brom, however, Walcott had been used sparingly by boss Arsene Wenger over several months this season following his recovery from a January 2014 knee injury.
The winger has also been linked repeatedly with a swap deal for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling.
Wenger insisted again at the weekend that Walcott will remain at Arsenal. But Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are all monitoring the situation.
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