Arsene Wenger has insisted that the contract situation between star duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will only make them more hungry to work hard and win.

Both players are likely to see their contracts run down at the end of the season, meaning that they will be free to join other clubs without Arsenal receiving any sort of fee.

It’s a sticky situation for the Gunners, not least that they will be losing two of their best stars.

However, Wenger believes that their contract situations can actually benefit the team, saying that the pair will be hungrier to perform.

“They shouldn’t [feel like bit-part players],” he said. “Because that’s not how I see it. Even inside the camp the other players have a respect for them. But sometimes the outside environment makes them look like that.

“When the team does well you keep a certain consistency. That doesn’t mean that the players who do not play, you respect them less. You respect people through their attitude and their attitude is fantastic.

“When you pick a team you do not necessarily look how long a contract is. The shorter the contract is, the more hungry the players are usually. The hunger index drops with the length of the contract.”
[Quotes via Metro]