Fans and reporters are all wondering the same thing, will Theo Walcott be back in an Arsenal uniform after the termination of the 2013 campaign. Arsene Wenger wasn't exactly 100 percent sure, but he expressed optimism on Walcott's status as a Gunner. 

"Discussions progress smoothly but slowly. We are on a good road but in this situation, as long as nothing is signed, you are cautious, but I am optimistic we will get to a happy conclusion. I was optimistic last week, but I am a bit more optimistic this week," said Wenger to the press. 

How important is Walcott to the sixth place, 9-7 Arsenal squad? 

Very. He is their leading scorer with eight goals so far in the 2012-2013 season, not to mention they are winners of four of their last six games.

Walcott is especially necessary in matches like the one the Gunners face on Sunday. They will take on Manchester City who currently holds the second spot in the Premier League standings.

"We know this a vital period for us," he said. "We are on a positive run. We still lack a bit of confidence in some situations and I feel our team will be very dangerous if we have full confidence. We are not far from it, but we need another positive result in a big game to be completely confident and believe in our ability to come back."

Arsenal has racked up 38 points in 20 matches this season. However, they trail No. 1, Manchester United, by 14 points.  

You can check out our other Walcott stories as our very own Deepak Vikraman has covered the news thoroughly week after week. 

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