Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez’s contract stand-offs have held the club to ransom in more ways than one.

Speaking in his Tackle Keown column for the Daily Mail, Keown points out that the uncertainty surrounding Ozil and Alexis’ future has negatively affected the rest of the squad.

They’re no longer enjoying themselves because they’re now questioning why these top players don’t want to be at their club anymore.

“Ozil and Sanchez have held the club to ransom in so many ways — not just financially,” said the former centre-back.

“It has affected the group. Their team-mates are thinking, ‘Why doesn’t anybody want to stay at Arsenal?’

“Last season, those two players were able to use the uncertainty surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future as an excuse. Yet since Wenger signed his two-year contract, Ozil and Sanchez have still not signed.

“When I was at the club, the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira were superstars but we were still made to feel special as well. There was never a feeling that they were more important than we were.

“There was a thirst and hunger for success. When you came to training, every day was a new day. The training ground was never boring and the sessions were ultra-competitive.

“You got on well with your team-mates but ultimately you wanted to get into the team ahead of them. There were times where we were told we had to ease off on our tackling!

“I don’t know whether this is the case anymore. Now, an inconsistency has crept in.

“When you watch players like Alexandre Lacazette, there is no brightness or fun to their game. That feelgood factor has to come back into the group and that is why I have been so enthused by Jack Wilshere’s re-emergence.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 28: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal celebrates as he scores their second goal with Mesut Ozil during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on December 28, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal celebrates as he scores their second goal with Mesut Ozil during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on December 28, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

I have to agree with Keown. Both Alexis and Ozil have six months left on their current contracts and their prolonged stand-off hasn’t helped anyone.

Alexis is set to sign for Manchester United any day now. The Chilean has reportedly penned a four-and-a-half year deal worth £14m-per-year after tax.

Until this point, although we knew he was probably leaving, albeit for the Blue side of Manchester, his lacklustre on-pitch performances after not getting his way in the summer were a surprise. We were told he was professional but now he appears anything but.

While I love Ozil and sincerely hope he stays, he’s doing a similar thing. In the summer, he said he wanted to stay, so what happened?

The 29-year-old has been good on the pitch, particularly since the North London Derby, but there’s been no indication whether he’s staying or not.

Everyone knows how badly we play without the playmaker on the pitch, including the squad, and the prospect of not having him at the club anymore is probably pretty unsettling.