Walcott eyes Arsenal ‘mega signing’

"[Arsene] will know what positions need strengthening. Maybe we do need a big signing, a mega signing that is going to get the fans on board," he said at the launch of The FA and MARS Just Play scheme in London, a brand new nationwide initiative aiming to get adults in England playing regular football.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have not secured any silverware since Patrick Vieira’s spot-kick beat Manchester United to lift the FA Cup in 2005, with an injury-time winner from Obafemi Martins inflicting a League Cup Final defeat on Wenger’s men last season to extend the club’s barren run to six seasons.

The heartbreak against Birmingham at Wembley saw Arsenal’s campaign crumble in a matter of weeks, with losses to Barcelona in the Champions League and Manchester United in the FA Cup – as well as indifferent Premier League results – leaving the Gunners’ optimistic quadruple hopes in tatters.

And Walcott fears that making it a not-so-magnificent seven years without a title could signal the departure of several of the side’s key players.

"We have to win something next season. If we don’t win something next year then players could leave because a big club like Arsenal really need to be winning things," he said.

"But it will be tough, as Manchester City will look very dangerous next season and will feel confident after finishing third ahead of us."

The FA and MARS Just Play scheme aims to get a 150,000 new participants playing the game for at least 30 minutes a week by September 2013.