Ray Parlour is urging Arsenal to tie the club’s top youngsters to new contracts to avoid running into a very familiar problem.
The Gunners have got off to a stunning start this season, with Mikel Arteta’s side winning eight of their first nine Premier League matches. Mikel Arteta has assembled a squad, filled with youthful exuberance, who now look set to finally end the club’s wait for a top-four finish.
But there is a hope for more prolonged success at the Emirates, with a young core of stars in place which could make them perennial contenders.
Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba have all played key roles in the Gunners resurgence and look to be key players for years to come. However, they all have somewhat uncertain futures with their current deals expiring at the end of next season.
Arteta insists that the club are on top of all negotiations and will announce developments as and when, but there is some trepidation from the fanbase. In recent years, Arsenal have lost a host of players - including the likes of Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri - for relatively modest fees having allowed contracts to run down.
And Parlour thinks history could repeat itself unless Arsenal are proactive and prioritise rewarding their existing stars with long-term contracts. “We’ve seen it happen so many times at Arsenal where people have gone on free transfers,” Parlour told talkSPORT.
“Back in the day Van Persie – free transfer more or less. We had to sell him with a year left. Nasri was in the same situation. So now you’ve got to highlight who you want to keep, who’s your players going forward.
He added: “I’m sure there’ll be so much interest for Saka. All the big big boys will come in and try to sign him. Smith Rowe has just signed a new contract, I know he’s injured at the moment but you’ve got to try and get these youngsters to sign up and believe that in two or three years time, this club is going somewhere.”
Arteta has attempted to assure fans that things are under control and suggested they would be doing all they could to protect the long-term future of the football club. “We have to plan for the future and we are all working on it,” he explained earlier this month.
“Edu is on top of it and all the board. I will try to do things in the right way and plan in the best possible way and reward the players - that in our opinion - have a big future at the club. When we have something to announce we will do that.”
"What happened in the past, the people that were in charge had the right reasons, or tried something that would benefit the club. We will try to do the same and make sure the club is protected and in the right place to keep moving forward.”
