Cazorla, Walcott Sign New Deals — Arsenal News

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott and Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla have signed new contracts with the Gunners, the Premier League club said on Friday (Saturday NZ Time).

£140,000-a-week is a lot of money but I’m delighted Theo has committed his future to Arsenal and the news comes as a double boost as we’ve also tied Santi Cazorla down to fresh terms today.

The England global has been in negotiations with the club and had recently indicated that he is keen to remain with the club, but was focusing on matters on the pitch, while his representatives handled details off it.

Walcott is the longest-serving player in Arsenal’s squad following his move to The Emirates from Southampton in 2006.

Walcott missed the latter half of the 2013/14 season due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury and only came back to action towards the end of 2014.

Though the Community Shield is not considered a competitive match both Jose Mourinho and Wenger have been keen to emphasise the importance of heading into the season with confidence and form.

Arséne Wenger was clearly ecstatic with these deals, stating that “both are top quality” and are “hugely influential” to the side.

Playing in a deep-lying midfield role, Cazorla, 30, enjoyed a fine 2014-15 season and was Arsenal’s most-used player with 53 appearances.

Santi Cazorla joined Arsenal in 2012 and has been a first-team regular ever since. He scored a hat-trick in the final league game of the season against West Brom before hitting the opener in the FA Cup Final victory over Aston Villa.