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Arsene Wenger: 'I want Theo Walcott to stay at Arsenal'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 26 October 2017

Arsene Wenger insists that Theo Walcott still has a part to play for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, despite restricting him to just 47 minutes so far.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is keen for Theo Walcott to remain at Arsenal, promising the forward that he will be given more minutes in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old has struggled to break into the first-team picture at the Emirates Stadium this season, featuring for a total of just 47 minutes in the top flight so far.

Walcott has instead had to settle for appearances in the EFL Cup and Europa League, which club legend Ian Wright believes could be enough to persuade the England international to move on in the New Year.

Wenger will try his best to keep Walcott in North London, however, telling reporters: "I do not want Theo to move on. When you look at the number of minutes these guys have played it's quite a big number.

"His time in the Premier League will come. I've gone into a rotation policy because we play Thursday, Sunday most of the time so at the moment he has got less minutes in the Premier League than other competitions."

Walcott played a full part on Tuesday evening as Arsenal earned a 2-1 win after extra time against Norwich City in the EFL Cup.