Now that Theo Walcott has got his contract that he thought he deserved, it is time to step up and finally be the main man at Arsenal.

Walcott is enjoying his best season so far in an Arsenal shirt, but it is still not good enough for someone reportedly now earning around £100,000 a week ($160,000), the highest at the club.

Arsenal have paid him near what he asked for, and with it Walcott needs to pay back and prove to himself and the Gooners he is worth every penny paid.

Walcott has the potential to be a lethal striker, but as he showed in the Swansea game on Wednesday, which Arsenal won thanks to a wonder strike from Jack Wilshere, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

The 23-year-old will be, more often than not, played down the middle, as Arsene Wenger himself admitted. Two things are the most important when you are playing as a central striker - movement and finishing.

Walcott has improved in spades on both fronts, but still, his performances, at times, leaves a lot to be desired.

In the game at Swansea, for instance, there were at least three occasions when Walcott had the chance to run with the ball at pace on the counter-attack, but lost possession.

He wears the No.14 jersey of a certain Thierry Henry, who was 23 when he joined Arsenal. So, there is time, but not too much.

Henry was always good with the ball at his feet, while Walcott still fumbles and struggles to control. Henry was not a finisher, but worked on his craft under Arsene Wenger and became one of the most lethal strikers in the world.

Walcott was also never great at finishing, even though both players had that natural ability tucked away in the corner somewhere, but is getting better with each passing game.

Henry was foremost a winner, who would take matters into his own hands, if things were not going well for his club. Arsenal had several other players who would do that at that time - Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Patrick Vieira to just name a few.

Now, there is Wilshere, who will do everything in his power to drive his team forward and look for the win. Walcott needs to join the club with Wilshere, as do Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla, to again name a few.

With his contract signed, sealed and delivered, the onus is now on Walcott to step up and be counted and be on the forefront as Arsenal look to bring back the glory days.