Outwardly, Arsenal are bullish about their intentions for their three contract rebels this summer.
Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have thus far failed to put pen to paper on proposed new deals and could all leave the club for free next summer. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger has repeatedly insisted they won't be sold. He's right to fight for Ozil and Sanchez -- having dropped out of the Champions League, it would be another huge blow for Arsenal to lose either of their stars. However, if Oxlade-Chamberlain continues to reject Arsenal's attempts to tie him down, Wenger should strongly consider a sale.
After all, his is a very different case. Oxlade-Chamberlain had a decent 2016-17, but he's still far from an elite player. The idea that he holds a similar kind of bargaining power to Sanchez is, frankly, absurd. Right now, you'd struggle to make a case that he even makes Arsenal's first-choice XI.
That's been the situation for most of Oxlade-Chamberlain's time at Arsenal. He has spent six seasons with the club, yet it remains unclear precisely what his best position is. Last season he had cameos on either wing before a brief spell as a deep-lying midfielder. He ended the season as a wing-back, where his powerful dribbling and crossing ability made him an exciting attacking outlet.
However, the player seems to have little interest in making that role his own. Unlike Chelsea's Victor Moses, who has embraced the position and subsequently carved out a regular role in the side, Oxlade-Chamberlain still harbours ambitions of playing in a more glamorous role -- namely central midfield. The England international has cited Steven Gerrard as an idol, sparking stories of a potential switch to Anfield and a permanent central berth.
If that's what he really wants, so be it. Arsenal can't realistically afford him a first-team spot in the middle of the park. Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey are justifiably ahead of "The Ox" in Wenger's preferred pecking order -- Xhaka distributes the ball more effectively, while Ramsey is more capable of covering ground. Arsenal arguably do require an upgrade in this area, but there is very little evidence that Oxlade-Chamberlain is capable of providing it.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's value to Arsenal is as a versatile squad member. He's the immediate backup for Hector Bellerin at wing-back, and Ramsey and Xhaka in central midfield. Those roles would most likely afford him plenty of playing time -- look, for example, at how Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier shared the wing-back role at Spurs last season. However, if Oxlade-Chamberlain requires the assurance of being first-choice, there is little option but to move him on.
Arsenal are in danger of getting themselves into a similar predicament to the one that made Theo Walcott one of the club's highest-paid players. Wenger insisted the club would keep the Englishman at all costs, meaning they ended up paying an exorbitant salary to a player who now appears surplus to requirements.
Deployment on the field was also an issue for Walcott, who dreamt of playing regularly as a centre-forward. Arsenal subsequently embarked on an ill-fated experiment with Walcott as the feeble spearhead of their attack. Giving in to Walcott's demands cost Arsenal on and off the field. Wenger should not make the same mistakes with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The former Southampton man is certainly a player of considerable potential and there is a reason Wenger has persisted with him for this long. However, he will turn 24 next month and most top players have established themselves long before this point.
For too long, Arsenal have indulged players who, for whatever reason, have not quite been able to convert their potential into proven quality. Oxlade-Chamberlain is another of those. In a summer in which Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers could all be moved on, it seems strange that an exception is being made in this instance. The decision to keep Sanchez is an impressive example of Arsenal toughening up. Selling Oxlade-Chamberlain might well prove to be another.