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Picture Theo Walcott - Gunners target.

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Arsenal may be keen on adding rising star Theo Walcott to their attack, but new signing Emmanuel Adebayor is confident it is he who can quickly form an explosive strike partnership with Thierry Henry.

The Gunners are believed to be competing with Chelsea for the signature of 16-year-old Walcott from Southampton, with Henry urging the youngster to move to Highbury.

Adebayor, 21, completed his move to Arsenal for an undisclosed fee last week.

And while a debut for his new club will be delayed by his participation in the African Nations Cup, the striker is already looking forward to establishing his own link-up with the brilliant Frenchman.

"I have a lot to contribute to Arsenal's attacks, and bring the necessary punch with Thierry Henry," the former Monaco striker told PA International.

"He [Henry] asked me, when I arrived for the press conference, 'are you going to play with me for the next game? I'm waiting for you'.

"That made a big difference, and I feel great to give Arsenal, one of the greatest teams in Europe, what they are missing."

Adebayor claims manager Arsene Wenger has big plans for him.

"Arsene Wenger has confidence in me," added the 6ft 3in striker, who scored 10 goals to help Togo qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time.

"He even declared at my arrival in England, 'you are not here to play a secondary role'.

"When I think about this, I feel I have to do my best to be at the top.

"I'm impatient to work hard for the team, and I hope I can give maximum pleasure to the Arsenal fans."

Walcott's long-term future, meanwhile, looks certain to lie away from Southampton, after they confirmed offers from two 'top Premiership clubs' had been received, and that they also were expecting a third.

Chelsea are also widely reported have moved for the youngster - and to have offered more than the initial £4.5million said to be on the table from the Gunners, which would rise to around £12million based on appearances and the players' development.

Wenger last week admitted allowing Walcott to stay at St Mary's for the rest of the season would "not be a deal breaker", which would at least allow the Saints the chance to further test his talents in an attempt to make a late push for the play-offs in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The young striker is, though, a big fan of Arsenal captain Henry, and is understood to be more interested in moving to north London than Stamford Bridge when looking to develop his promising career.

Henry feels Walcott would make a good addition to the Gunners squad.

"There are a lot of teams trying to get him but if he can join us then I would welcome him here and he would be a benefit," said the French World Cup winner.

"People are saying there are similarities (between the pair) and it's good to hear what he said about me.

"I first saw him play in the youth cup and I saw him as a player with great pace and a lot of tricks.

"I've also seen him play this year. I can't even remember what I was like as a player when I was that age so it's difficult to say.

"But he's a young player with a lot of desire and skills who obviously loves to play football."

Walcott certainly has the potential to develop into a full England international in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney, but all the speculation is, according to his agent, tough on the Saints youngster.

Warwick Horton, of Key Sports & Entertainment, said: "It has been an unsettling time for Theo.

"He loves Southampton as a club and has been surprised by the interest although he rarely reads the papers or pays much interest to speculation."

Horton added: "He has the potential to be as successful as Wayne Rooney although he has been likened more to Thierry Henry because of his style and pace," he said.

"He is an ambitious lad and wants to train and play with the best players he can to try to take his career to the next level."

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