Arsene’s new hard line on contracts, Sign or your out

Arsene Wenger seems to have taken a no nonsense approach towards the new contract negotiations this summer, telling players to sign a new contract, or leave.

It all started with Mathieu Flamini 3 years ago, Arsene had allowed his contract to run down to the last year and despite a more than generous offer of £55,000 a week for 5 years, Flamini rejected it and eventually signed for AC Milan on a free. It was a bitter blow to us because at the time he was exactly what this Arsenal team needed. Keeping Gilberto out of the starting XI and forming an extremely good bond with Fabregas, it was a shame to see him go. And to see him go on a free hurt even more.

Since then Arsene has been very cautious when it comes to contract renewals. Trying to get a player to sign a year before their current contract runs out so he can ensure they won’t leave on a free come then end of their contract.

The latest Arsenal players to come under Wenger’s eye are that of Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy. Both have 1 year left on their contracts and Wenger is adamant that they either sign a new contract soon, or be prepared to be sold this summer;

We will sort that situation out quickly after the end of the season. We need to know very quickly.

We do not want to do that [have another Flamini situation]. We won’t allow that to happen. It has to be resolved before the season starts.

Now the season is over, and we are still none the wiser as to how the contract talks stand. Nasri’s agent has gone on record to say that talks with Arsenal are on going and hoped to be resolved soon. I can only assume Nasri is just seeking assurances that the club will be strengthened and that he won’t go the next 5 years of his contract without a trophy.

Gael Clichy if I’m honest I can see being sold this summer. A great servant to the club, I think he’ll decide he’s done what he can at Arsenal and he’ll move somewhere in Italy or Spain and see out the rest of his career.

Flamini and Fabregas

It doesn’t look like it’s only the established senior players either. Henri Lansbury has apparently been told to sign or he’ll be sold. Lansbury who has had an important role in ensuring Norwich gained promotion to the Premier Leauge for next season, has been told by Wenger that he can feature in the Arsenal first team, but he needs to sign a new contract soon otherwise he’ll be sold.

You can’t really blame Wenger for wanting to ensure our key players are tied to the club and won’t be taken on a free, but to see him do it to the players who he sees featuring in the first team in years to come is a clever move.

At the end of the day, Wenger is only ensuring he gets value for money if players do leave. Right now Nasri could get upwards of £18m-£22m if sold. Wenger wants to make sure that if someone wants Nasri, they’ll have to pay the right sum for him.

To see him make this ultimatum to his players is a brave move, if Nasri didnt sign this summer and clubs decided to wait for next summer to get him on a free, would Wenger sideline Nasri? Same with Clichy, would Arsene implement Gibbs more into the position and leave Clichy out, after all, why play a player who will leave in a few months?