Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are finally firing for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, after a sticky start to the season.

Sanchez has three goals in his last four games, while Ozil has registered two of his own, in addition to five assists.

Their form for the Gunners had helped the club rise into the Champions League places, but last Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United saw them drop into fifth.

Arsenal have already won their Europa League group ahead of tonight's game against BATE Borisov at the Emirates, which is a good achievement having rested most of their first choice eleven in all five matches.

However, they could turn to Ozil and Sanchez for the knockout stages, with the competition providing a realistic chance of a route back into the Champions League.

That is, of course, dependent on the two players staying at the club beyond January.

Ozil and Sanchez's contracts are due to expire in the summer, and they are free to talk to foreign clubs about a free transfer from next month.

With the very real possibility of two of their star men leaving for nothing, Wenger has stated that they will not be sold, and neither player looks set to extend their current deals.

Instead, he has made a stunning and rather bizarre claim that their contract situations are actually benefiting them.

He says that players who are approaching the end of their deals are 'more hungry', which ultimately improves performances on the pitch.

"They shouldn’t [feel like bit-part players]," he said. "Because that’s not how I see it. Even inside the camp the other players have a respect for them. But sometimes the outside environment makes them look like that.

"When the team does well you keep a certain consistency. That doesn’t mean that the players who do not play, you respect them less. You respect people through their attitude and their attitude is fantastic.

"When you pick a team you do not necessarily look how long a contract is. The shorter the contract is, the more hungry the players are usually. The hunger index drops with the length of the contract."

Wenger's belief might make some sense if Ozil and Sanchez were playing for new contracts with the club wanting to release them.

However, it is literally the opposite, with the two players wanting out, and Arsenal desperate to keep them.

Cynics would say that the pair's recent form is down to wanting to put themselves in the shop window, but in reality it shows the class that the Gunners have on their hands.

Unfortunately for fans of the club, it looks very likely that Ozil and Sanchez will be leaving the Emirates, either in January or next summer.