The former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has said that he believes Theo Walcott should play as the striker for Arsenal this season.

The future of the 23-year-old England international has been thrown into doubt after his refusal to sign a new contract with the club. His current contract runs out at the end of this season, which means that he could become one of the high profile bosman transfers in the summer. Even though there has been speculation that Theo Walcott is refusing to sign a new contract due to the lower wages being offered, but the striker recently confirmed that money is not his objective.

Instead, he wants to play as the central striker for Arsenal or indeed any other club he moves to in the summer. The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, though, has called for patience from the winger. Theo Walcott has made no secret of the fact that he would like to replicate the success of Thierry Henry at the club. The French international was initially used as a winger, but later became one of the most successful strikers in the history of Premier league. The Arsenal legend Ian Wright is also of the opinion that Theo Walcott can play as the striker, despite the fact that he is not the finished article.

"I love Theo and have been saying for a long time that he should be playing as a striker. Clearly he is not the finished article and could do with some more work from the Arsenal coaches, but Theo has all the ingredients to be a top striker. Wenger has been saying for a long time that he sees Theo developing into a striker, so give the guy a chance to prove he can do it. If it doesn't work, then fair enough, but give it has to be worth a try," said Ian Wright.