London - England winger Theo Walcott has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the English Premier League club confirmed on Friday. Details of the contract were not released, but the 20-year-old's new deal was hailed by manager Arsene Wenger.
"Theo is an intelligent player and has developed well this season," Wenger said.
"At still only 20 years of age, Theo has huge potential for the forthcoming years and we are all looking forward to see him grow even more in an Arsenal shirt."
Walcott said he was delighted to extend his contract and said he hoped the likes of striker Robin van Persie will also commit their long-term future to the club.
"Hopefully if they (the other players' contracts) get sorted out...this team can go very far," Walcott said.
"I'm so happy here and just want to say thanks to everyone who has helped me get to this point in my career. Together with the belief of my team-mates, the boss and everyone on the staff, everyone has got behind me here at Arsenal which is brilliant.
"It's fantastic to work with the best manager in the world and play at Emirates Stadium, which is an unbelievable place to play in. I just want to continue playing my football at this club and look forward to many successful seasons ahead."
Arsenal lie fourth in the Premier League and were beaten by Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but Walcott said he was confident they would win trophies in the near-future.
"The character that we have got, from the Roma (Champions League) game especially, that stands out this year," he said.
"No one expected us to win the penalty shootout but I saw something special there. Every time I have a warm down I look around the team and see there are some really good players here and I want to be part of it.
"Hopefully we can be right up there with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool and have a great challenge for it next year."
