Theo Walcott Contract: Latest News and Speculation on Arsenal Negotiations

Arsenal have begun new contract talks with England attacker Theo Walcott, although Arsene Wenger admits that getting the player to sign a new deal is "never an easy job."

ESPN reported the Arsenal boss' words on the matter as Walcott enters the last 18 months of his current deal:

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We are starting to sit down with him. I think he has one and a half years to go on his contract in December and it is never an easy job with him, you know. Will he be at his peak in the next few years? He should be, yes. He is 25, it is the best years now so hopefully we can profit from that.

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Wenger's quip about Walcott was "said with a smile," according to ESPN, but the Gunners have faced an uphill task in getting the player to commit in previous years.

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Since those days, Arsenal have upped their spending powers and purchased world-class talent such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, and the former Southampton man will surely feel motivated to remain at the Emirates.

John Cross of the Mirror said Walcott will become one of Arsenal's biggest earners and will join Ozil and Sanchez on the club's top tier wage bracket. Walcott is currently on £90,000 a week, and Cross reported this will likely be significantly increased.

It will be a shot in the arm for the talented player who has scored 45 goals in his 195 Premier League appearances since joining Arsenal in 2006, per ESPN.

However, The Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst has questioned the logic in giving Walcott a new and improved deal considering the player's horrendous injury record since signing his last contract:

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In many ways, Luckhurst is correct. Walcott has been out for nine months with his most recent injury and is wholly unreliable in terms of availability.

But in stark contrast, the wide player has shown remarkable signs of maturity when he has been in Wenger's side, and he seems ready to take the next steps in becoming one of the club's natural leaders.

Walcott has been with Arsenal eight years and staying with the Gunners will help create a platform of stability. The club has a reputation of seeing experienced players leave and they will not want this to happen with the attacker. 

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Walcott took his time to develop since the early hype about him in his teenage years. But when he is fit and in-form there are few players in the Premier League who can match his pace and threat.

Ironically, though, his first-team place is in danger with the arrivals of Ozil and Sanchez, as well as Danny Welbeck from Manchester United. These three players are likely to consume Wenger's attacking positions, with Walcott slipping down the order.

Walcott may feel his own agenda is best served at another club if he wants to be an automatic pick for his team, and there would be plenty of offers put on the table should he opt to walk away on a free transfer.

But it is likely the player will opt to see out a decade with the Gunners and be a part of any success the north London team achieves in the next few seasons.