Arsenal Chiefs Confirm New Strategy Regarding Player Contracts in Response to Aaron Ramsey Saga

Arsenal club chiefs have announced a new strategy to deal with players running their contracts down, revealing that those players who fail to sign extensions with two years left on their currents deals will be sold.

The news was announced at a fan forum prior to the club's 2-0 victory over Manchester United, featuring managing director Vinai Venkatesham and director of football Raul Sanllehi, who were joined by Josh Kroenke, the club director.

According to ​Metro, in the 90 minute meeting the three officials met with supporters to discuss the matter of players running down their contracts, a long-standing issue at Arsenal that culminated with Aaron Ramsey's free transfer to ​Juventus at the end of this season.

The Welshman joined the likes of Alexis Sanchez, who moved to ​United on a swap deal last year, in running his contract down, while a similar situation arose with Mesut Ozil - although the German eventually signed on with the Gunners after the club gave in to his astronomical wage demands.

One of the most surprising elements of the meeting was the appearance of club owner Stan Kroenke's son, Josh. The billionaire owner has remained very much a peripheral figure at the club, rarely attending matches or making statements around the club's ongoing movements. However, Kroenke's son has become a more frequent visitor in London, with the idea being to try and bridge the rapidly increasing gap between supporters and owners.

Kroenke insisted their primary focus was on bringing silverware to the Emirates, with the club firmly backing manager Unai Emery. Furthermore, with Arsenal rumoured to have just £40m to spend in the summer, it was insisted more shrewd signings such as those completed for Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi will become the template for acquiring new stars in the future.

The club director's meeting with fans was the first time any member of the family had met with supporters outside of the Arsenal Annual General Meeting, with fans supposedly beginning to warm to the new approach shown by the American owners.

Of the meeting, as quoted by the ​Mirror, a member of the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, said: “We’ve been calling for him and his family to engage and he was fairly honest and open which is encouraging."