Arsene Wenger tells Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay at Arsenal for the next 10 years

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger tells Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay at club for next 10 years and help spearhead revolution
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should stay put Credit: Rex Features

Arsène Wenger has told Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay at Arsenal for the next 10 years and help lead the club forward.

The midfielder’s future at the Emirates is currently in doubt as he has yet to sign a new contract, despite his existing deal expiring next year.

It has led to Oxlade-Chamberlain being linked with a move away this summer and Liverpool have been reported as a possible destination for the 23-year-old.

However, Wenger has now urged Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay at the club he joined as a 17-year-old back in 2011.

“I want him to be part of Arsenal Football Club for the next 10 years,” said Wenger.

“He is a big player and we live in a world where agents are linked to the press and can always have a tactic to make the whole package come up.

“But at the end of the day it all comes down to ‘do you want to be part of that? Do you meet your needs and what is important in your football life here or not?’

“What has changed compared to 20, 30 years ago, no matter where you sign today, you will make money.

“He looks like he is on an upward curve. He has had little problems always, but now he’s getting a little stability and more freedom to play.”

Wenger’s desire for Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay put is born out of his belief that the England international can help lead the club forward along with fellow midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey’s contract is running down - although his current deal does not expire until the summer of 2019.

And Wenger believes the onus is on long-serving players, like the pair of them, to control the future of Arsenal.

“Yes, of course [I would love to have a core of British players],” said Wenger.

“But what I love above a passport are players who integrate the values of the club. That is the most important. And they have to be ready to defend these values.

“It’s more natural for local players because they have been educated in Arsenal – players like Ramsey, Chamberlain. They have to take charge of the future of the club.

“They should lead and take responsibility to say: ‘Yes, that is how we want to behave, this is how we want to play, let’s go together’.

“A lot is said about my future but my future is more important in the value and spirit of what we have built in 20 years than my own person.

“These guys have to take charge of what we have built and the values of the club. We are a club that are admired for that.”

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