Alexis gone and Ozil yet to sign - Arsenal warned they are being 'left behind' in contract farce

Arsenal’s inability to tie key men to contract extensions has seen them “left behind” by rivals, says David Seaman, with there more exit pain to come.

The Gunners have already seen Alexis Sanchez slip through the net after opting to run down his deal, with the Chilean making it clear that he saw his future elsewhere.

That loss was countered by the arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a swap deal with Manchester United, but uncertainty continues to shroud several other players.

Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere are yet to commit to terms past the end of the current campaign, while the likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck are all due to hit free agency in the summer of 2019.

Legendary goalkeeper Seaman told talkSPORT on the contract mess in north London: “It’s important for the club to stabilise this sort of thing. It gets even worst next year.

“The sad part is we’ve lost a quality player in Alexis Sanchez, and we don’t need that to carry on.

“We want to get these guys signed up, get that all sorted out and then try and move on.

“We do need to move one because we’re getting a little bit left behind."

Arsenal’s contract struggles stand in stark contrast to the successes enjoyed at Premier League rivals.

North London neighbours Tottenham have experienced little trouble in tying the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen to fresh terms, while Manchester City have recently announced new deals for Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho.

Wenger must now prove that he can do likewise, with it vital that another Sanchez saga is avoided and that stability and continuity are established at the Emirates.