Theo Walcott has said that Arsenal aren’t paying attention to their doubters and are ready for the new season.

The new Premier League season gets underway this Friday, with Arsenal taking on Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. This means it’s time for the detractors and doubters to come out of the woodwork and predict another disastrous campaign for the Gunners.

Theo Walcott, though, isn’t paying attention to any of that, and says Arsenal won’t be dwelling on any past mistakes. “We’ll let the people talk on the outside,” he said, reports the Mirror.

“We know what we want to do this season. We know how important it is. Everyone’s up for the challenge – you know we do like a good challenge.

“It’s going to be different for us this year but it’s about the way we react, it’s as simple as that. We can’t really dwell on the past any more, we need to focus on our strengths.”

Arsenal will have the new challenge of balancing domestic commitments with the Europa League this season. While the players should be well-accustomed to mid-week European fixtures, the changes to the usual schedule may take some getting used to.

Meanwhile, everyone at the club will be hoping to replicate some of the performances they displayed against a number of Premier League giants in last season’s FA Cup triumph.

Arsenal put in a pair of battling displays against Manchester City and Chelsea on the way to lifting the trophy last season. This season, they’ve gotten off to a morale-boosting start by doing the same again against Chelsea in the Community Shield.