Arsene Wenger has described renewed speculation over his future at the Emirates as a farce but Arsenal are staring down the barrel of a trophy-less season after surrendering the FA Cup against Watford on Sunday.
The Gunners are left with only two competitions to aim at this season but their chances in either aren’t looking great. They will exit the Champions League at Barcelona on Wednesday night, barring a miracle at the Nou Camp, and they could trailing Premier League leaders Leicester by 11 points in the title race by the time they face Everton at Goodison next weekend.
Old failings have returned to haunt Wenger’s team again since the turn of the year after things looked to be going so well and bookmakers and punters are speculating that the Frenchman may be starting to think that he’s taken Arsenal as far as he can.
The club make a handsome profit year-on-year but it’s trophies that the fans crave and it would be one blow too many should they end the season below arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, fast emerging as the chief threat to an unlikely Leicester title triumph.
Arsenal’s defeat by Watford was their first in the FA Cup for 37 months. They dominated possession but only had Danny Welbeck’s late consolation to show for their efforts, though the England striker could have saved his side had he converted another chance in stoppage time.
Ironically, it’s Hornets’ boss Quique Sanchez Flores who is among the favourites in Skybet’s betting to be next Permanent Arsenal Manager. The former Atletico Madrid and Getafe coach has moulded Watford into a combative Premier League outfit and joins Arsenal legends Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry near the head of the betting.
Skybet’s Odds to be Next Permanent Arsenal Manager
Dennis Bergkamp (10/1), Quique Sanchez Flores, Diego Simeone and Ronald Koeman (14/1), Dragan Stojkovic, Manuel Pellegrini, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira (16/1), Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers (20/1), Jorge Sampaoli, Michael Laudrup and Frank De Boer (25/1)
Unibet are offering 11/2 that the Gunners will still win one trophy this season. Wenger is saying that his team should be judged at the end of May and not now but he’ll find himself under pressure again in the summer if all comes to nought.
