Arsenal: 10-step summer plan to solve team

Sign young players to long-term contracts

As has been much-discussed, Arsenal are not the most efficient club when it comes to managing the contracts of their players, especially their stars. In recent years, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Samir Nasri, Serge Gnabry, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez, Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, David Ospina all left the club for less — sometimes far less — than their true value because they entered the final stages of their contract. And there are plenty of others, too.

Even if Arsenal do not believe some of their current young players will not make it at the Emirates, signing them to long-term contracts protects their value and ensures that they can be sold on for significant profits, which can then be reinvested into the rest of the team. And this does not just go for contracts that expire in a year, but those that are two or even three years down the line. Getting ahead of the game is vital.

There are two young players who Arsenal need to tie to deals this summer: Bukayo Saka, whose current contract expires next summer, and Eddie Nketiah, whose contract expires in 2022. Both must be signed to five-year deals — or better yet, extensions. That way, their future and their value is secure.