Nacho Monreal thinks that Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez will remain with the Gunners through the winter window, despite all the exit rumours.

The Spaniard was asked if he knew anything about the two players’ situations after the win over Tottenham at the weekend. Although he admitted that it wasn’t really his place to say anything final, Monreal did give his understanding on how things were progressing.

“Yes, the feeling is that they will continue. At no time have we talked about the possibility of them leaving. Not at all. They are committed to the group and we will see what happens,” he said, reports the Express.

“I can’t say much about it. It does not depend on me. The situation is clear. They are two vital players for Arsenal. They are two players who end their contracts at the end of the season.

“If the club want them to stay beyond December [the January transfer window] they will follow. Yet, I do not know the club’s intentions. It is other people who are the ones who have to make a decision.”

No doubt time is running out for both parties to come to a decision. If Arsenal don’t make a significant effort to resolve the situation over the next month, it may then be too late by January.

Of course, a couple more results like the one at the weekend would probably help to persuade the pair. It won’t be long before the Gunners get another chance to prove themselves, with Manchester United visiting the Emirates on December 2.

You’d hope their future will be decided on more than just current form, but at the very least it seems Monreal is confident that any transfers will take place in the summer, rather than in January.

Working on that basis is the least distracting way to go about the season, as we saw in August how badly contract negotiations can affect form, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis’ non-performances at Anfield. No one at the club will want a repeat of that in January.