Alexis hasn’t put Wenger in a corner

Kieran Gibbs, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain entering their final years.

But Wenger, below, said: “When you’re a football player you perform until the last day of your contract. Whether you have two years or one year left it doesn’t change. You want to play and do well.

“Do you really think they sit in the dressing room and think: ‘Oh I have one year to go, I will not play well today’? Where does that come from?

“When you are a football player you want to play well – what does that have to do with the length of your contract? It’s a bit amazing to me. So long as you work, you do well.” Pressed on whether he feared it meant many of his players would be busy negotiating a move away, he said: “Even if it happens, it doesn’t matter. I’m amazed that you’re surprised by that. It’s normal. Nobody knows if Sanchez will not extend his contract with us as well here. “The performance on the day doesn’t depend on the length of contract. If that was true we’d sign everybody for 20 years. One day he will go. We will all go. And Arsenal will go on.” Sanchez is due back at the club tomorrow after getting extra time off to recover from flu. In his absence, Arsenal lost to Sevilla but £52million man Alexandre Lacazette scored his first goal at the Emirates in his first full home game.

That proved enough to win the trophy on goals scored, despite the Spaniards having won a game more.

Lacazette appeared to be limping as he came off but was fine post-match and Wenger confirmed he was not injured.

But Gibbs, who was ill, Francis Coquelin, who needs a scan on an ankle ligament injury, and Shkodran Mustafi, who is only just back in training after action in the Confederations Cup, are all unlikely to face Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.