The question is how far into the future will Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tire of hearing about the ‘future’.
All indications are that such a time is fast approaching. He knows he can draw the well-heeled and respected to his table, with Liverpool and Manchester City keen, and he knows this summer will determine how the next few years of his career play out.
At 23, he is approaching a major decision, possibly his biggest to date, and it is not lost on Arsenal that walking away is something he is evidently willing to do. He will have a year remaining on his contract this summer and it might well take more than handsome promises to sway him when the negotiating starts.