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"I've just to got work hard in training and if I do that, and I do that, you never know, do you?" he told Arsenal TV. "I've played in the Championship and I've played among men ... so I don't think there should be any problem there."

Within hours of his signing, Walcott was listed by British bookmaker Ladbrokes at 6-1 to become England's youngest goal scorer. Rooney became the youngest at 17 years, 317 days. Ladbrokes also rates Walcott a 12-1 shot to make England's World Cup squad.

While Rooney, who grew up in working class Liverpool and uses his bulky frame to out-muscle opponents, Walcott was raised in a rural setting near Reading, south of London. The slightly built Walcott relies on his speed.

Walcott was Southampton's youngest-ever player when he came on as a second-half substitute against Wolverhampton in the League Championship on Aug. 6 at the age of 16 years, 143 days. He plays as a striker or attacking midfielder.

Walcott has made 13 appearances for Southampton this season and scored five goals. He has earned 14 caps for England's under-17 team

and scored five goals.

"It is always a gamble when you take young players," Wenger said. "I believe his attitude is what I expect for a young player - but the rest of it is a gamble."

Wenger said he was pleased Walcott - whom he described as "blessed with electric pace" - chose Arsenal over big-spending Chelsea.

"We were on the case longer than Chelsea," Wenger said. "We monitored him for a couple of years and emotions are not always rational."

Walcott will wear the No. 32 shirt with Arsenal.

"Coming to Arsenal will give me the opportunity to work with world class players every day and play football at the highest possible level," Walcott said. "It's a strange day, because I'm also very sad to be moving from Southampton.

"I'm leaving many friends and some great coaches who have been so important to my career so far, but I leave with many great memories from the club."

Walcott told soccer magazine FourFourTwo recently that his nickname was Tiger because he resembled golfer Tiger Woods. Asked to describe himself in five words, he said: "pacey, skilful, determined, family oriented and handsome."

Walcott had a pre-contract agreement with Southampton to sign a professional deal with the Saints when he turns 17. Arsenal is paying compensation to Southampton, which was relegated from the Premier League last season.

"We are bitterly disappointed," Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe said. "The purpose of developing the best academy in the country is not to sell scholars to larger clubs.

"The game needs young people like Theo but this won't happen if the clubs who produce them suffer the same fate as we would in this case."