Walcott happy to reject Chelsea

Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott has revealed he was happy to reject Chelsea and join the Gunners instead. Whilst at Southampton, the England international had several offers on the table; and the Blues had offered him a lucrative deal which he rejected.

"As a kid, I felt that it was all happening too quickly for me," he told The Times. "Chelsea invited me to be a ballboy when Liverpool, the team I supported, played at Stamford Bridge, and I got to meet all the players in the changing rooms afterwards.

"I had my picture taken with Michael Owen. I've shown it to him since and we've had a laugh about it. But it was the right decision to play for Southampton: it was a family club and I just wanted to play. All the coaches were brilliant," he said, taking a breather between England training sessions. "I'm sure I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them."