Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has expressed his belief that the "writing is on the wall" for manager Arsene Wenger following this afternoon's 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
The Gunners slumped to a fourth defeat in their last five league games to suffer another blow to their top-four hopes, leaving them still five points adrift of Liverpool in the final Champions League spot.
Wenger revealed after the match that he has now made a decision over his future, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, and Keown believes that we are seeing the end of the long-serving Frenchman's time at the club.
"Are they even going to be in the top seven this season? They are tumbling out of the top four, the wheels are coming off," he told BT Sport.
"No [Mesut] Ozil today, [Alexis] Sanchez was playing most of the game with an injury - I can never remember it being this bad for Arsene Wenger. It does feel now, very sadly, like it's the end of an era for Arsene Wenger, it's just finding the right moment to announce that.
"I don't know if the players could cope with him saying that he is about to leave. That may be the only reason why he isn't making any kind of announcement if he feels as though it will affect the group, but the writing is firmly on the wall."
Arsenal fans still seem to be split over whether or not Wenger should stay at the club, with banners both for and against the 67-year-old being flown over The Hawthorns today.
Barney Corkhill
