Arsene Wenger is no stranger to a crisis after 21 years at Arsenal.
Yet, there was something particularly chaotic about Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to West Brom.
It’s difficult to name one player who looked like they were fighting for their under-fire manager.
Manchester United’s win over Middlesbrough has moved Arsenal down to sixth in the Premier League, which not only threatens to ruin the annual hilarity surrounding their fourth-placed finish, but has to cast real doubt on whether Wenger’s position is tenable.
The accusation from the fans is clear: mediocrity has been allowed to set in.
It’s not just Wenger who is to blame. Stan Kroenke’s unpopularity has been growing every day he allows the Frenchman to stay on.
Stay on, he may. The Telegraph report that Wenger would like to extend his contract, though the club have repeatedly stressed that any decision will be mutual. They are not going to kick him out, and through sheer reverence to his achievements, it looks quite possible that an announcement will be made soon that he’ll be kept on.
It certainly raises questions over Bild’s claim that Arsenal had approached Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel.
BVB are third in the Bundesliga, which sits about right with the natural order of things in Germany: Bayern reign supreme, and but for the money bags of RB Leipzig, Dortmund are the best of the rest.
Tuchel has some incredible players at his disposal, including the in-demand Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and when he’s fit, Marco Reus.
The German would be a popular replacement for Wenger among a lot of Arsenal fans.
Nonetheless, ESPN have it, via their sources, that Arsenal have not spoken to Tuchel at all.
They are sticking to the schedule which allows until late May or early April for Wenger’s future to be decided, and regardless of what happened at West Brom, the club seem to have faith that he can overcome their latest slump.
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