Walcott: Imperative that Nasri stays put

The Gunners have completed a sixth successive season without silverware, despite reaching the final of the Carling Cup, with supporters now desperate to see manager Arsene Wenger splash the cash in order to recruit the necessary players to end their trophy drought.

However, the Emirates Stadium side will also have to keep their best men at the club in order to achieve that goal, with captain Cesc Fabregas expected to be the subject of interest from former club Barcelona once again, while French playmaker Nasri’s future is also far from certain.

Contract negotiations with the ex-Marseille man are ongoing with Wenger revealing that financial disagreements are behind the delay in the midfielder penning a new deal.

And Walcott is hoping that an agreement can be reached soon in order to keep him at the club.

“He’s important for the team, you want to keep hold of all of your best players," 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.

“He’s a great player; he was nominated for PFA Player of the Year after the disappointment of not going to the World Cup. He wanted to show people what he could do. I can’t believe he didn’t go to the World Cup.

"I see him every day in training. He’s a danger-man.”

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.