Walcott: money not behind delay in new contract

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott insisted on Tuesday that his delay in signing a new contract has anything to do with money. Talks over extending the 23-year-old’s contract, which expires at the end of the season, reached crisis point last month when he rejected a new five-year deal worth £75,000 ($122,000) a week. And manager Arsene Wenger warned last week the club may be forced to sell Walcott if an agreement could not be reached before the transfer window reopened. It was reported Walcott was holding out for £100,000 ($162,300) a week, but he told ESPN: “That speculation on the money side of it has never been me. That’s not me.  I’m not the sort of person who’s influenced by money. I always make my decisions based on football and only football. “Hopefully, something can be sorted out. I’ll just wait for the club to get back to us now and go from there.” He added: “It’s a slow process. My last contract took over six months to happen. Hopefully, it can be sorted out.”