Backheel Breakfast: Theo Walcott wants a guarantee he’ll play striker

Theo Walcott has played center forward in both of his last two games for Arsenal, scoring four goals. He’s always wanted to be a center forward, and now he’s not just asking for it, but demanding it. As part of his negotiations with the Gunners over a new contract, Walcott is seeking assurance that he’ll be played up top, not on the wing.

There are a lot of reasons why this is a great idea. Arsenal definitely need another striker this summer if they plan on using Walcott primarily as a winger going forward, but Arsene Wenger’s the kind of man who can be convinced he has an in-house solution for everything. Demanding to play a certain position as a condition of signing a new deal wouldn’t work at a lot of clubs, but it might work in the case of Walcott and Arsenal.

Plus, it’s not like the Gunners can argue against that scoring record.

Jordi Alba has signed a new contract with Barcelona. (FC Barcelona)

FIFA are trying to dump all the blame for bribes on a dead guy despite contradictory evidence.

A CONMEBOL executive admits the 2016 Copa America might not go forward. (ESPN FC)

Newcastle fired Ryan Taylor over the phone, then asked him to hand the phone to Jonas. (Sky Sports)

Dimitar Berbatov has left Monaco and is a free agent. (BBC)

Giorgio Chiellini says Messi couldn’t score his “impossible goal” in Italy. (AS)

Napoli have offered Unai Emery their managerial position and await a response. (Football Italia)

Luca Hodges-Ramon on why a World Cup boycott isn’t a great idea. (Beyond the Field of Play)

Swiss Rambler on Fulham’s finances. (Swiss Ramble)

Mike Goodman on how Rafa Benitez is good and bad at the same time. (Grantland)

The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It’s rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.

Real Madrid want to sign Sergio Aguero this summer. (AS)

Liverpool are willing to swap Raheem Sterling for Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs and some cash. (ESPN FC)

Axel Witsel admitted he’s talking to Juventus. (Football Italia)

Andriy Yarmolenko wants to leave Dynamo Kiev. (Mail)

Manchester United think they’re in pole position to land Dani Alves. (Guardian)

James Milner is close to joining Liverpool. (Independent)

Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko wants to go to Chelsea. (Express)

Hamburg stayed in the Bundesliga with a dramatic playoff win. (Guardian)

U.S. U-20 won overnight, and Gedion Zelalem was awesome. (For The Win)

Qatar vs. USA (11 a.m.) - The U-23s have been worse than the U-20s, but surely they can beat Qatar?

Cuba vs. New York Cosmos (5 p.m.) - Gimmicky, sure, but an American team playing a game in Cuba is still cool.