By BEN HUNT
ARSENE WENGER has told Theo Walcott: You owe us.
The Arsenal manager insists Walcott must repay the faith the club has shown in him and sign a new deal.
Wenger IS willing to break the bank to keep the England star, who is after £100,000 a week.
But the forward, 23, has so far refused all offers to extend his six-year stay.
The Emirates chief — who yesterday saw his side draw Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League — said: “Somewhere along the line they need to give back to the club what the club has given to them.
“I won’t sell him in January, that is for sure, because my gut feeling is that he belongs to this club and I am always convinced he will stay.
“I am happy to pay Theo the money he deserves. But I feel as well that I bought him and spent a lot of money on him.”
Wenger made clear his feelings on loyalty after agreeing new deals for Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Wednesday.
And the Frenchman feels Walcott — who signed from Southampton for £9.1million in 2006 — will also stay.
He said: “I am a big supporter of his and believe he is happy here. He has always looked to me like he is an Arsenal man.
“What is important is to keep the young players together. Once you have produced them, you want to say, ‘OK, let’s stay together and win together’.”
Wenger is confident the club can meet Walcott’s demands — providing it is agreed by the board.
He added: “You never fix yourself a limit on financial restrictions.
“I believe the board will follow my recommendation if possible. We have a wage bill that has to be respected.
“When we go higher than expected, I ask the board to do it and most of the time they follow my demands.”
