Arsene Wenger confirms Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere will remain at the club

Arsene Wenger insists that he is willing to sacrifice potential losses in transfer fees for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere if it means having the squad depth required to have a successful season on all fronts this campaign.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal, with Chelsea and Liverpool thought to be the front-runners for the England international. Ox, who recently celebrated his 24th birthday two days ago, showed versatility towards the end of last season when he excelled in a wing-back position for Arsene Wenger's 3-5-2 system, where he was an integral part of beating Chelsea in the final of the FA Cup.

Wenger spoke about Ox in a news conference earlier today and was quoted by ESPN confirming the winger will stay at the club: "I rate him highly and he's one of the players who is on his way up. In the last year, he has made huge progress and personally I want him to stay here for a long time."

Wilshere, on the other hand, has had a dismal past couple of seasons for Arsenal, where injuries have plagued his young career. A loan move to Bournemouth was very promising, but a leg injury cut his progress short. However, many clubs still lined up for Wilshere, including West Brom, West Ham, Liverpool and even the likes of AC Milan and Juventus. 

The 25-year-old played his first game since his injury in April for Arsenal's under-23 side and is showing rapid progress. Arsene Wenger confirmed the midfielder will stay for at least another year before being considered for a contract extension: "I plan for him to be here for the whole season. After, we will see at the end of the season."

Like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, Ox and Wilshere are also in the final year of their contracts and Wenger runs the risk of losing them for free instead of cashing in on them now, a risk he is willing to take to ensure his side have enough players to perform well in all their competitions this season.