Mikel Arteta has outlined his plans for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal.
The pair have been shining lights under the Gunners manager so far this season, weighing in with a total of 16 goals and assists between them in the Premier League, as per FBREF.
If Arsenal are to win the top four battle over West Ham United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves, then it's almost certain that Saka and Martinelli will have a major part to play.
Although, failure to qualify for the Champions League within the next couple of seasons will naturally bring about speculation of the young duo leaving in order to test themselves on the biggest stage in Europe.
Arteta is fully aware of this potential scenario and has revealed the Gunners' transfer strategy to ensure Martinelli and Saka stay at the club to help achieve their long-term goals.
After a quiet January window, in terms of new arrivals, reports claim that Arsenal will be extremely busy in the summer with an '£180m spending spree' in the works amid links to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Alexander Isak and Ruben Neves.
However, Arteta is seeking for the right balance that doesn't halt the development of youngsters such as Saka and Martinelli.
"Here there are two things. It’s important first that you have room for those players to develop, and the other one is it’s important to have those players developing when we are extremely competitive," Arteta told reporters. "Because if you sign three top players and those kids start not to play, what happens? You cannot have it both ways.
"If you sign big players with big money, the money has to be on the pitch which means that these players are not going to be on the pitch.
"So, we need to find our balance, but with the standards that this club requires which is to be the best. But without killing what is growing and is growing the right way because they have the right environment to do it."
Meanwhile, Arsenal are expected to offer Saka a new contract at the end of the season as a reward for his excellent form so far this campaign.
The 20-year-old's current deal expires in 2024, but football.london understands that a new deal will reflect his role in the team as one of the most important players.
But amid talk of Liverpool and Manchester City being ready to pounce for Saka as early as this summer, there have been suggestions that Arsenal's only hope of keeping hold of the winger is by qualifying for the Champions League.
Not that Arteta agrees with that theory as he's confirmed talks with Saka will take place soon and the Spaniard is unsurprisingly keen to secure the England international's future.
"I don’t know. It’s a conversation that we’re going to have with the player internally, with the player, with his agent, with his family which are going to be extremely important as well," Arteta added. "So everybody is on board.
"Our desire is to keep Bukayo as long as possible because he’s really happy, he’s part of our DNA, he’s growing, he’s maturing, his importance in the team is unquestionable, and we want to keep our best talent at the club.
"That's for sure."
