Paul Merson believes now is the time to give Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe new Arsenal deals.
Both England internationals have become two of the finest players at Arsenal in the last few seasons.
Mikel Arteta is building his team around them and the Spanish manager will want both players to remain in the long term.
As Arsenal struggles to return to the top four, both players have admiring glances from other clubs.
They could easily be persuaded to move away from the Emirates if the club doesn’t tie them down to new deals.
Former Gunner, Merson believes they should sign an extension now. If the players hesitate, the club should sell them.
He wrote in his Star Sports column: “They are top drawer and they are going to be vital to Arsenal finishing in the top four this season. But I think Arsenal should get them tied down now.
“They should be talking now about five year contracts. Get them signed, and if they don’t want to sign, then sell them in the summer.
“Don’t hang around and let them run their contracts down and let them go for next to nothing. Test the water because there will be teams chasing them.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We cannot lose Saka and Smith Rowe for whatever reason, and keeping them will show we mean business.
At some points, both players will feel they need to win trophies. It is our responsibility to build a squad that can achieve that around them.
If that happens, it should be easy to keep them happy at the Emirates.
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