Wenger: Vital for Arsenal to keep British players

Cape Town - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes it is vital for the club to hold on to their British players, especially Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Gunners have four British players who have contracts set to come to an end at the end of next season, with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey all nearing their 2018 expiration.

Contract talks have not yet begun with the group, but Wenger insists it's important for them to stay at the club.

"We have to keep them all," he said ahead of Monday's game at Crystal Palace, according to ESPN FC. 

"We still have a group of young English players. We have Ramsey, we have Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Gibbs. All these players, we have to make decisions and manage to keep them together."

"I personally think it's vital that Oxlade-Chamberlain stays at Arsenal. We have bought him when he was very young, and we have built him up," Wenger added. 

"I like his mentality, and he has a good football brain. I think it would be a big damage for us to lose this kind of player."