Tony Adams believes Arsenal's lack of foresight in securing Robin van Persie's future is key to why the Gunners have failed to secure silverware in over seven years.
Arsenal have been bereft of a trophy since beating Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final, with Arsene Wenger stating at the club's Annual General Meeting last week that he values Champions League qualification ahead of domestic cup success.
And Adams, who captained the north Londoners to four league title triumphs, believes their failure to tie Van Persie down to a new contract prior to his move to United is indicative of the current trend at the Emirates Stadium - adding that he is worries more will follow suit.
"I never got into the last year of my contract when I was at the club. David Dein, and the people who were running the club, always made sure I had two or three years to run [on my deal]," he told talkSPORT
"They shouldn't have sold Robin van Persie because you need to keep hold of your best players. They made a mistake there, they should have wrapped Robin's contract up earlier.
"It's not about finance, they are going to miss Robin's goals. If you then drop out of the top four then the money [they would have spent on van Persie] would have paid for itself.
"I can see the fans are frustrated, however I do agree with Arsenal's principles. No one player is bigger than the club.
"They need a structure and a formation but they need to do a little bit of work towards it. If Jack Wilshere plays well are they going to lose him? Arsenal need to start winning things."
Theo Walcott is another first-team regular who currently has less than a year to run on his deal, with Wenger revealing recently that the club are actively pursuing an extension after an initial rebuff from the England international.
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