Jamie Redknapp has asked why Arsenal are still hanging onto Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs, after Saturday’s loss to Stoke City.

Speaking to the Daily Mail after the match, Redknapp questioned why the Arsenal players were so accepting of their position at the club, saying: “The problem is that everything is far too comfortable at Arsenal. Nobody plays as if they are under any pressure.

“I cannot understand why players such as Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs are content to remain on the fringes of the first-team. They should be trying to force their way in or go and kick-start their careers elsewhere.”

Walcott came off the bench to try and help the Gunners rescue the game, but in 12 minutes he made three passes and one foul. Jack Wilshere is still not quite back after his injury and is getting match fit with the u23s. Gibbs is currently doing the same with the youth side.

The three players aren’t deemed starters for manager Arsene Wenger, although in Wilshere’s case it’s possibly just an issue of fitness. Therefore they remain on the fringes through their own performances, and unless those performances pick up it’s unlikely anyone will come running with a bid.

Gibbs does seem to be the closest to forcing a move away, having been excluded from Arsenal pre-season tour this summer. But it’s up to the English trio themselves to find the motivation to compete with the players ahead of them, or push harder for a move to a side willing to play them.