Wenger: Özil, Alexis contract talks to begin

Arsenal will commence contract talks with their two major stars according to Arsène Wenger. Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez are both in the final two years of their deals, and while initial discussions began to take place last season, formal talks have yet to begin. That will, however, change soon, with the manager saying, “Özil and Sanchez, we will start to talk for their extensions.”

They are not the only players with contracts that expire in 2018, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere the two other notable players with contract expiry dates. Özil and Sánchez, though, are the priorities, and the two who would seemingly take the most convincing to stay, as both are genuinely world class players who could get into pretty much any team in the world.

Obviously, if Arsenal are to challenge for anything in the coming seasons, they must have Özil and Alexis in the team. They are virtually irreplaceable, and losing them would be a massive blow. Thus, it is good to see the club begin to tie down their most valuable assets.