REBELS FINE FOR ARSENE

® ARSENE WENGER last night claimed uncertainty over Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil is an “ideal” situation for Arsenal.

The contract rebels are entering the final year of their deals, with Manchester City confident they can tempt Sanchez (inset) away from the Emirates.

But Wenger insists neither player is leaving and will give their all for the Gunners this season.

The Arsenal boss said: “It is an ideal situation. Everybody has to perform. In the future I think you will see that more and more, players going into the last year of their contract.

“Why? Because transfer fees being so high, even for normal players, nobody will want to pay the amount of money demanded, more and more players will go to the end of their contracts.

“I’m convinced in the next 10 years it will become usual.”

Kieran Gibbs, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also heading into their final 12 months.

But Wenger said: “When you’re a football player, you perform until the last day of your contract. Whether you have two 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?”

Asked if he feared players would be busy negotiating a move, he said: “Even if it happens, it doesn’t matter. 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 tomorrow after being given time to recover from flu.

In his absence, Arsenal lost 2-1 to Sevilla with £52m signing Alexandre Lacazette scoring.