Arsenal legend, Sol Campbell has told talkSPORT he fears for the team’s future with star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil both set to leave this season.
The former defender believes the Gunners could find themselves in a cycle it could take ‘three or four years’ to break from following their failure to keep their key duo, who are both out of contract in the summer.
Manager Arsene Wenger had previously insisted both players would remain at the Emirates until the end of their contracts, but it now appears Sanchez will move away from the club in the January transfer window, with Premier League rivals Manchester United reportedly in pole position to secure his signature.
Germany playmaker Ozil is expected to depart at the end of the season but they could also lose midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is still yet to pen an extension to his current deal which also runs out in the summer.
All this means it’s like Groundhog Day for Arsenal, whose fans have been repeatedly exasperated by the transfer business over the past decade of Wenger’s reign.
The now widely-criticised Frenchman has allowed a number of high-profile and influential players to leave the club during his tenure, including the likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Ashley Cole and Samir Nasri.
And, with Sanchez and Ozil set to become the latest to depart, Campbell believes the Gunners may struggle to attract more top talent to the club.
Speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White, Campbell said: “Other teams have invested big money year after year and have also retained their best players and have kicked on.
“But at the moment, Arsenal are not retaining their best players. This is a vital period in Arsenal’s season when they need to keep their best players and add to them, not take them away.
“When you start taking the really top players who can really turn a game away, you’ve got to fill that spot and it’s not easy to do that in January.
“They’ve got to find players who can stabilise the team and move them forward into the summer, so they can build from there and more players come along.
“But if you keep on selling your best players, some players might say: ‘Well, why do I want to go there? All their best players are leaving!’
“I think teams go in cycles – Arsenal are in this cycle and they need to figure out how to get out of it, but it might take three or four years.”
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