Arsene Wenger Says It's 'Ideal' for Arsenal to Have Stars on Last Year of Deals

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said it is not a problem for him to have key players in the final year of their contracts, suggesting it is an "ideal situation."

Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all have one season remaining on their deals at the Emirates Stadium, prompting a heap of transfer speculation about each player. But according to Wenger, there is no concern from his standpoint.

"Not at all," he responded when asked if it was a worry, per Mattias Karen of ESPN.co.uk. "I think it's an ideal situation. Because everybody has to perform. When you're a football player, you perform until the last day of your contract. What does it change if you have two years or one year to go?"

Although Wenger was in a bullish mood in backing up the club's position, there's no doubt he would rather do without the speculation that has hovered over the team's players during pre-season.

Sanchez's situation has generated the most column inches. The star man for the Gunners last term has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain. Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror recently reported the player hopes to force through a switch to the former.

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Oxlade-Chamberlain has also been linked with an exit. City, Chelsea and Liverpool are all said to be interested in the player, who will not extend his deal, per Sky Sports. According to John Cross of the Daily Mirror, Arsenal are hopeful of agreeing terms with Ozil on an extension.

Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph believes the contract situations of their star men have hampered the Gunners in getting other deals over the line:

However, with transfer fees becoming increasingly inflated, Wenger suggested these types of scenarios will become commonplace.

"Why?" he said, per David Hytner of the Guardian. "Because the transfers are so high [in financial terms], even for normal players. You will see more and more players going into the final year of the contract because no club will want to pay the amount demanded. I'm convinced, in the next 10 years, it will become usual."

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As Mullock reported, the Arsenal boss has been adamant that Sanchez will be at the club once the transfer window closes on August 31. If he is, it means the Gunners are poised to miss out on a significant transfer fee.

Even so, keeping him would be a massive boost. Per Squawka Football, the Chilean is such a vibrant presence in attack:

According to Dominic Fifield of the Guardian, Arsenal feel keeping Sanchez around will make financial sense too. That's because the money accrued if he helps fire the team back into the UEFA Champions League would offset the amount sacrificed by refusing to sell him.

Wenger's assessment of a footballer with one year left on his deal should be correct, but players can react in different ways when their contracts are running down. It's always a risk keeping someone who wants to be elsewhere.