Petr Cech urges Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil to stay at Arsenal

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has said that it is 'vital' for the Gunners to keep their "exceptional players" when discussing the futures of key duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

Despite recording a 3-1 win over Everton on the final weekend of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, Arsenal missed out on a spot in the top four, meaning that there will be no Champions League football at the Emirates Stadium next term.

Both Sanchez and Ozil are believed to be keen on leaving Arsenal this summer as they prepare to enter the final 12 months of their contacts, but Cech has urged the duo to pen extensions in North London.

"Alexis has been brilliant, scoring a lot of goals. [He and Ozil] are both exceptional players and obviously you always want to keep your exceptional players," Cech told reporters.

"That's the main thing is we need to keep the team together and try to strengthen it in the areas where the manager would like to, and then we will be ready to go again.

"If you have one odd year in 20 years, it is not a problem. I think the club has a strong foundation, a strong organisation and everything to be one-year out and come straight back in, like Chelsea did last season.

"Obviously, it helped them not to be involved [in the Champions League] this season because they could keep all their energy for the league."

Arsenal have missed out on a top-four position in the Premier League for the first time under the management of Arsene Wenger, whose own future still remains unclear.