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Theo Walcott is relaxing his demand to be Arsenal’s main man as his latest contract discussions continue to drag on, writes Steve Bates in Singapore.

The 26-year-old says he is content to play in any of the forward roles — as long as he can get central from there to score.

England international Walcott has previously made it clear he wants to be key supplier of goals but as he moves into the final year of his current deal he says: “I’ll play anywhere, but it’s well documented where I want to play.

“Up front there is a lot of competition, but in the modern-day game the three up front tend to change around a lot.

“You see it with England, Barcelona and Real Madrid. We have that trust in each other. Everyone can do that role, so it’s not a problem. I’m always going to be judged on goals. I’ve been very happy with my goal record — when given the opportunity.”

The England star gave another glimpse of the threat he offers when fit and firing, scoring the first goal as the Gunners won the Barclays Asia Trophy with a 3-1 victory over Everton in the National Stadium here on Saturday.

In pictures — Arsenal win the Asia Trophy:

He added: “I enjoy scoring, I want to score for this club and it’s a nice feeling. I haven’t set a target yet for the season but when you are that winger/striker you need to be on 15s and 20s I think, so the goal in Singapore was a good start.”

Injury restricted Walcott – a potential target for Chelsea and Liverpool - to just 14 Premier League appearances last season but he was bang in form just as the campaign ended, scoring a hat-trick in the league finale against West Brom and netting the opener against Aston Villa at Wembley as the Gunners retained the FA Cup.

“I didn’t want last season to end, because I’d only just got back. It’s frustrating when you have been out for such a long time - it is difficult to get into a winning team,” he said. "This is my first pre-season for two years, so I want to work hard and get fit because I think this team can go very far.”

Aside from fitness issues, though, the star is said to be concerned over the amount of game time he can expect if he re-signs.

In pictures — Arsenal's 2015 FA Cup victory parade:

But the speedy attacker made it clear Arsenal are on the up. And he’d like to be a part of the equation if they guarantee him a pay hike from £90,000 to £120,000-a-week and a regular platform.

“My agent has talked to the club, I enjoy playing for Arsenal, so I am just letting them crack on with things and I’ll continue playing my football,” explained Walcott.

“If it happens, it happens. We’ll just play the waiting game and see what happens but I’m sure it won’t be long.

"And if it’s not sorted before the season starts I’d be comfortable with that, definitely. It’s not in my thought process at all and I think that’s the best way to be.

(Image: Getty)

“You don’t want to dwell on it, you want to play well and if it happens, it happens. I won’t let the delay affect the way I’m going to be playing this season. I can’t let that affect me, I want to do well for this club.

"This squad, for me, is one of the best I’ve been involved in. I want to be part of that. There is something special in this group of players. We have got to keep this group together as well.

“I think successful teams stay together for a long time so I think this team can be very successful. We’ve won two FA Cups now and the next big step is obviously challenging for the League. And if we had shown our form in the second part of the season from the start it could have been us.

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“But ‘if’ is the word you don’t want to use in sport. We need to make sure we do it from the start.”

Coming up for ten years at Arsenal in January, Walcott joked: “Maybe we are talking about testimonial times! I’m happy here, of course. I have shown it. I’ve always played with a smile on my face and always enjoyed playing for this club.

“It is one of the best groups I have been involved with and I want to stay involved with that squad.”