Theo Walcott hopeful of reaching contract agreement with Arsenal

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has said that he is confident he will find an agreement with the club over a contract extension.

The 23-year-old, who scored in the Gunners' 5-2 win at Reading in the Premier League on Monday, is out of contract with the London outfit at the end of the season.

"Talks are ongoing," Walcott told Sky Sports News. "It's going to be a slow process. It's taking a long time but hopefully something will happen soon."

Walcott was happy to have been deployed as a centre-forward against the Royals and believes that they have silenced their critics with the performance at the Madejski Stadium.

"I enjoyed playing up front," he said. "It's about getting more opportunities and today the boss (Arsene Wenger) gave me an opportunity.

"I thought I did very well and the players around me always make my job easier.

"We showed people the true Arsenal. We don't really take notice of the outside. We're a big family and we know our quality and that we're good enough."

The win has lifted Arsenal to fifth in the Premier League table.