Even the most optimistic Gooner probably knows deep down that Alexis Sanchez is probably leaving in the summer.

The Chilean, whose contract with Arsenal runs out in 2018, is yet to extend his deal in north London and while a lot of it is genuinely just media speculation, it’s hard to envisage him staying for longer.

Of course, I’d love to be wrong and considering his recent comments about seeing out his contract at Arsenal, I could be.

Mesut Ozil, meanwhile, could also leave. While most seem confident that he will stay and he’s said repeatedly that he’s happy in London, I think a lot rides on whether Wenger stays and where we finish at the end of the season.

If I – a humble fan – am having these thoughts, it stands to reason that Arsenal Football Club are too and you have to imagine (hope) that they’re making preparations for life after Ozil and Alexis.

But how?

Replacements

Buying replacements before either player leaves is huge. Not just because, practically, you want someone to be able to step into their spot once they’re gone but also because there’s going to be a hell of a backlash when it happens.

This isn’t like when Robin van Persie left and we didn’t really have the funds at that point to be splashing on superstars.

Fans and the media will blame the club for not forking out enough to keep the players, even if their alleged wage demands simply aren’t doable.

They’ll rightly or wrongly blame Wenger for letting them down or not doing enough.

It’ll be carnage.

UNLESS, the club can bring out a couple of top quality replacements before Ozil and/or Alexis leave.

Marco Reus, for example, is a player Arsenal have been linked with for a while and while he’s not Alexis or Ozil, he’s world class.

Reinforcements

If it’s not possible to buy replacements for either player, reinforcements is the next best option. For example, while we could never truly find a playmaker with Ozil’s brain, buying a couple of attacking midfielders who will give everything and produce when you need them to might fill a gap.

Strength in numbers and all that.

While one midfielder may not be able to get 19 Premier League assists in one season, two decent enough ones could get 10 each.

If they stay fit, they make prove even more effective – on paper at least – than Ozil on his own.

Saying this, I’m a huge Ozil fan and I fail to see how we could adequately fill his shoes with any amount of people.

New manager

It looks as if Wenger is likely to sign a new deal with Arsenal, at least for a year, which means that a new manager isn’t coming in for next season.

However, a new approach is undoubtedly what this club needs and if Wenger stops being stubborn for five seconds, there’s no reason it couldn’t be him.

I do think we need a new manager. In my opinion, we’ve given Wenger plenty of chances to change and although this is probably the worst many have seen Arsenal in a long, long time, he’s had plenty of warning shots over the years to encourage him top buck up his ideas.

He hasn’t.

However, if he does stay, there’s no point whining about it. Nothing will change, which leads me onto the next point.

Support

Fan support going forward will be huge, especially if our two best players leave.

The club have to play their part in this and if they don’t follow the above steps then it’ll be almost impossible to get the fans back on side. Selling your two best players without sorting out replacements and future plans is stupid at best and negligible in every sense.

As fans, all we can do is keep on keeping on. Despite what the club says, it’s doubtful that we have much say over how our club is run, which is frustrating and we do deserve to have a voice.

If Ozil and Alexis do leave, we have a right to be annoyed. They were our two best players; we managed to keep two genuinely world class players at the club for a few seasons. Why allow them to leave?

There’ll be a lot of questions as I doubt their decisions not to extend purely come down to wage demands.

It’s how the club answers them that’s either gets fans on side or pushes them further away.

We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.