Wenger keen to sign Arsenal's Welbeck, Ramsey to new contracts
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is eager to tie-down Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey to new contracts, but warns there could be an increase of players willing to see out their deals due to an inflated transfer market
With both players out of contract in the summer of 2019, Wenger is hopeful of avoiding a situation similar to a number of other Arsenal players, such as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who have entered the final 12 months of their contracts.
Yet, Wenger predicts there will be a growing number of players entering the final years of their contracts due to the soaring transfer fees that clubs in the modern game demand.
"It is something we want to address," Wenger said, according to David Hytner of the Guardian, when asked about new contracts for Ramsey and Welbeck. "Both of them are in a good moment for us. But with the level of transfers and the amounts that players expect on their contracts, you will have more and more players going into the final year of their contracts. You will be in a position where you either extend for money you cannot afford or you go into the final year of their contract.
"This season, there were 107 players in the Premier League who got into the final year of their contract and you will see that more. The clubs want too much money for normal players.
"They say that if one player is worth £200 million (like Neymar), then this player is worth £50 million. But everybody knows for that player £50 million is too much and they cannot afford it. So what happens? The club cannot sell and doesn’t extend the contract, so more and more players are going into the final year of their contract."
Welbeck was in fine form - scoring three goals in five Premier League appearances - before going down with a groin problem that's expected to keep him out until mid-October.
Meanwhile, Ramsey has had an impressive start to his eighth season in an Arsenal top after scoring once and providing an assist over five Premier League appearances.