Arsenal round-up: Financial crisis possible; Gabriel set for Valencia; Stoke team news

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Arsene Wenger has insisted that Arsenal are prepared to risk a financial crisis by keeping hold of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere this summer. They are all in the final year of their contracts with the club, but the Gunners’ boss wants to keep them at the club for the coming season. There will be a hope that they can convince them all to sign new deals, but that seems unlikely at this stage. The Frenchman told the Evening Standard:

“Look, let’s not be wrong, it’s not an ideal situation on the financial side and it demands some sacrifice but first of all it doesn’t mean the players who are in the final year of their contract will not extend their contract. You have still that possibility and we work on that as well.”

It seems hopeful that all three will extend their current contracts, but it isn’t completely out of the question. Arsenal need to make sure that they don’t have a repeat of this situation in the future by keeping a closer watch on the contract of every player at the club. Although it would be a huge risk to keep all three this summer, the club seems to be leaning in that direction.

The club are focusing on clearing out players that are no longer needed and the Mirror report that Gabriel is set to join Valencia. A deal has been agreed between the two clubs, which is thought to be worth £10 million. This will represent a £5 million loss on the player, but he has struggled to adapt to the Premier League. The Gunners will be hoping that a few other players follow the defender out of the door, as they desperately need to clear the decks.

This is great news for the club, as the Brazilian didn’t have a future in North London. The best part about the transfer is that they have managed to remove a big earner from the wage bill. If they are to risk keeping players in the final year of their contracts, they need to balance the books elsewhere. This is why the sale of squad players is important for the club.

Arsenal are facing a match against Stoke City this weekend. They haven’t had the best record at the Potters during recent seasons and they will be aware of that. Arsenal.com rounds up the team news ahead of the game after Arsene Wenger’s press conference. Per Mertesacker, Shkodran Mustafi and Francis Coquelin are all likely to be available. Jack Wilshere could also be involved, but Alexis Sanchez won’t feature.

The news regarding Sanchez won’t come as a surprise. Arsenal won’t risk using him until his future has been resolved, as it could be to the detriment of the team if he did feature before that. It is a boost to have a possible four players returning to the fold, especially the defensive players. The Gunners fielded a makeshift defence against Leicester City and it would have been a huge risk to do so again.