Arsenal must tie Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil down to long-term deals or it’s back to square one
The Gunners' ambition is under severe scrutiny - they simply can't make same mistake as when they sold Robin van Persie
IT'S been a few years since Arsenal were at risk of losing their best players.
In fact, not since the sale of Robin Van Persie in 2012 have they faced the prospect of letting a key man go.
But with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil yet to put pen to paper on new deals, the club are at serious risk of being resigned to a similar fate.
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But this time, and more than ever before, the Gunners need a different outcome.
Losing Van Persie back in Sir Alex Ferguson's last season at Manchester United not only helped propel a rival to the Premier League title, it also set Arsenal’s ambitions back massively.
Along with losing one of the best - if not the best - striker in Europe, and all the goals that his form came with, it was a signal from the Arsenal hierarchy the club was not in competition with United.
And therefore not competing for the top honours...
That’s a message Arsenal risk sending out again if they lose either of their star men.
On the plus side, both players seem to be settled in London. Ozil recently purchased a new £10million house in Highgate, and Sanchez is on the record multiple times to talking about how “comfortable” he is in London.
But it’s going to take more than that to keep them. Arsenal not only need to ‘pay the going rate’ for world class players of their stature, they also need to be competing for honours.
Arsenal’s star men couldn’t be more different in terms of body language - but one thing’s for sure: they’re both winners.
And Arsenal will need a strong finish to the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League to convince both men that The Emirates is still the place for them.
The rumblings coming out of the club are that Ozil is more likely to sign than Alexis, although it’s still very much up in the air for both.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the players aren’t 100 per cent sure of their own plans, so how can anybody else be?
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Differing stories appear every week but one thing is for sure: if Arsenal can secure the long term futures of both men, it will be better than any business they might do in the summer.
If they don’t, it’s back to square one and the club’s ambition should be seriously questioned.