Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to make Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri feel "valued" ahead of contract talks with the pair.
The two Hale End academy graduates have enjoyed a breakthrough season with Lewis-Skelly also making his senior England debut last month under new boss Thomas Tuchel.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, has made 29 appearances to become Arsenal's first-choice left-back while Nwaneri, 18, has been involved in 31 games, the majority of which came while Bukayo Saka was sidelined for almost four months with a hamstring injury.
Both players have just one year left on their existing deals with each in line for a significant increase in salary and speaking on Friday, Arteta was asked where keeping them at the club sat in the list of transfer market priorities.
"If we have to put energy, the most energy we have to put is making sure that the players that we have with us are happy, they feel valued, they feel very much part of what we are doing, they feel important," he said.
"Then, the rest of the necessities, we can look especially in our academy first and then if we cannot do that, elsewhere."
Arsenal face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday aiming to close an 11-point gap to Liverpool at the top of the table.
Arne Slot's side were beaten at Fulham last weekend and lost the Carabao Cup Final to Newcastle -- two results Arteta hopes Arsenal can take encouragement from.
"It's a really, really long Premier League season, we have played a lot of matches and we know how competitive [it is] and the margins that most teams win every week, which is by one goal," he said.
"So that means that there's always a chance [of winning the title]. But again, it's certainly not in our hands. What we have to do is win our matches, be better in our position and wait [and see] what happens. But we want to be there, for sure."
Declan Rice and Saka are both fit after coming off in Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League quarterfinal first-leg win over Real Madrid.
Arteta admitted there had been an "unbelievable energy" at the training ground after stunning the defending European champions in midweek.
"Probably in terms of the impact he had worldwide and the context and the manner that we did it, [it is] probably the one that the people will talk the most," he added.
"But at the end, it's another game for us and there's still a lot to do. I think it's great for us as a team as well to build these momentous connections and that history together."