Jack Wilshere has urged Arsenal to seal a new contract for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The striker netted twice against Chelsea to secure the Gunners the FA Cup on Saturday but the performance has only escalated speculation about Aubameyang's future.
Aubameyang is out of contract next summer and plenty of clubs have been linked with moves for him, with pressure on the Gunners to either agree a new deal for him or sell him to avoid losing a valuable player for free.
Former Gunners midfielder Wilshere knows first-hand how good Aubameyang is and said it is vital he stays at the Emirates.
He told talkSPORT: “It’s massive for the club that they get him to stay. You can see what he brings.
“I was there when he signed and straight away from the first training session, you knew that he was world class. He scores goals with his left and right foot, he can beat a man.
“I was lucky enough to play with a few players like that, but he was one of the best. If I was in his shoes? Arsenal’s a massive club.
“He’s the captain, the fans love him, he’s got the respect of the whole club.
“If I was him I’d stay, but it’s easy for me to say that. Listen, as I said, it’s important they keep him because he’s their go-to man, he’s their best player, he’s their leader.
“When the team is down, everyone looks to him to do something and he’s come up with the goods.”
Wilshere, now at West Ham, argued that Saturday's FA Cup win and the management of Mikel Arteta could well sway Aubameyang to agree a new contract.
He said: “To win the first trophy will change a few things in his head.
“Since Arteta’s come in, he had a job of turning the players’ heads and making them think they can win trophies. Arsenal is a club that should be winning trophies.
“As you get that first one, it just makes it a bit real and you think they can do it in the future. It will definitely help.”
The former Gunners captain revealed that Aubameyang's signing had sent a jolt around the Arsenal squad in 2018 due to the size of the fee paid to sign him from Borussia Dortmund.
“I only played with Aubameyang for six months,” he said.
“It was almost like a shock because at Arsenal we weren’t used to spending £60million on a world class player.
“And there were rumours and all of a sudden it happened and he was there.
“In his first game, he scored and we all knew he was special. He’s definitely up there.”
