Arsene Wenger has decided to stamp his authority over contract rebels Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, insisting they either sign or be sold.
This news comes after contract negotiations between the club and both Gunners hit a break wall.
With both players contracts set to expire next summer, fears are beginning to grow that the club could lose both Clichy and Nasri on a free like they did Mathieu Flamini back in 2008. However, Wenger insists the same mistake won’t be repeated. The Frenchman was quoted in the Sunday Mirror saying:
‘We won’t allow that to happen again. We do not want the same as Flamini. We will sort it out quickly at the end of the season. We need to move very quickly. It must be resolved before the new season starts.’
These warnings have come at a time when Arsenal are planning to invest substantially on their squad during the summer.
In regards to Gael Clichy, Wenger already has a suitable replacement waiting in the wings – this being Kieran Gibbs. The England international has started the last three Premier League fixtures, and many Arsenal fans have already called upon Wenger to replace the error-prone Frenchman with the Arsenal youth product.
The 25-year-old left-back is valued at approximately £8-10 million, and there are already many clubs, which include Liverpool and Juventus, who have expressed their interest and be willing to splash the cash, if he were to become available this summer.
But Wenger has not got that kind of luxury regarding Samir Nasri.
The 23-year-old has been in red-hot form this season, and due to his fine performances, was even nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award.
With Cesc Fabregas’ days at Arsenal running out, many fans feel the timely rise to prominence of Nasri has come at the perfect time.
This piece of news is almost certainly going to cause some concern amongst those involved with Arsenal. Valued at around £13 million, the France international will surely command a transfer fee of around £20-25 million given his performances this season.
Personally, I would not have any problem with Clichy leaving, as I see Gibbs as an adequate replacement. However, Nasri is still young and certainly has the best years ahead of him; I definitely wouldn’t want to see him go. Yet again, no player is bigger than the club.
Arsenal are not a club that regularly dishes out massive contracts, in terms of wages. So, if contract negotiations are not finalised before the mid July, then the club should look to sell both Frenchman so that they don’t lose out on a substantial amount of transfer fees.
The most important thing is that the club doesn’t allow themselves to be held to ransom by players, especially those who don’t pride themselves in playing for such a great club like Arsenal.
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