Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has major concerns over contract talks with his star players.

Despite the arrival of new chief executive Ivan Gazidis, an Arsenal source told the News of the World: "Privately, Arsene was furious Flamini was allowed to leave so easily. The board simply didn't seem to recognise his worth . . . although perhaps they can see it now.

"It was as if Wenger was having to put out fires at every step. The Adebayor situation was messy, unnecessary and damaging and only got solved because Arsene stepped in and smoothed everything over.

"But he can't be expected to do that all the time, that's simply not his job. Walcott was told he'd start contract talks in October but that hasn't happened. The fear is he will have to wait until Gazidis takes over in January and, by that time, the damage has been done.

"It's not as if any deal is going to be done overnight, it could go on for a couple of months and - by then - he's only a year away from being out of contract."