With 18 months left on their respective deals, Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are understood to be demanding big wage increases to put them in line with some of the Premier League's top stars if they are to pen new deals at the Emirates Stadium.

The pair are arguably the Gunners’ two best players and having scored 17 league goals between them this season as the side look to challenge for the title, so many supporters would give them whatever money they are asking for to commit their long-term futures to the club – but of course things are never that easy.

The Chilean striker and German playmaker are understood to be looking to double their weekly pay packets but the north London outfit pride themselves on ensuring that they are stable financially and some would argue that the two players aren’t worth the huge increase in money.

Here are THREE reasons why the Arsenal duo don’t deserve the new bumper deals they want…

Trophies

Football Soccer - PFC Ludogorets Razgrad v Arsenal - UEFA Champions League Group Stage - Group A - Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria - 1/11/16 Arsenal's Mesut Ozil celebrates scoring their third goal Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

To get a significant wage increase, many Arsenal supporters, and neutrals alike, would feel that the duo must first help Arsenal to win a significant trophy – like the Premier League or the Champions League.

Ozil and Sanchez have failed to influence the club winning either of those competitions since they moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2013 and 2014 respectively, and they both went missing at times last season as the north London outfit missed one of their best chances of finishing top of the tree in the top flight in recent years as surprise package Leicester pulled off an unbelievable achievement.

Wage bill

Britain Football Soccer - Arsenal Training - Arsenal Training Ground - 5/12/16 Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez during training Action Images via Reuters / Matthew Childs Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Arsenal are renowned for being a club that make sure they don’t spend beyond their means, and that includes the wages they dish out to their players.

Ozil and Sanchez are said to be the top two earners in the team so it isn’t as though the duo are being underappreciated by the Gunners.

Wenger has come out and said that no player is bigger than the club so it will be interesting to see how the negotiations develop over the coming days and weeks, as the north London outfit won’t be held to ransom.

Consistency

Britain Football Soccer - Everton v Arsenal - Premier League - Goodison Park - 13/12/16 Everton's Maarten Stekelenburg and Leighton Baines in action with Arsenal's Mesut Ozil Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your

While Ozil and Sanchez are both in fine goalscoring form this season, they do lack consistency and can be absent in some key matches.

Sanchez was electric in scoring a hat-trick in the 5-1 win at West Ham and gave Arsenal the lead with a deflected free-kick against Everton on Tuesday, but the Chilean forward and his German team-mate went missing for the majority of the match at Goodison Park as Arsene Wenger’s men were beaten in the Premier League for only the second time this season, which will leave some questioning whether the potential pay increases are warranted.