The Gunners lost 2-1 at Brighton for their fourth successive defeat in all competitions yesterday.
It’s a run which saw them lose the Carabao Cup final and leaves them 13 points behind neighbours Tottenham in the Premier League.
It’s prompted bookies to pay out all bets on Wenger to go – adding more fuel to the fire that the Frenchman could be about to walk.
A Paddy Power statement read: “We have PAID OUT on Arsene Wenger to be the next Premier League manager sacked. All bets prior to 9.30am this morning now paid out. Enjoy!.”
Wenger yesterday complained that Arsenal‘s busy fixture schedule was causing their slump as criticism of the Frenchman intensified.
He said: “We had difficulty to get going and we suffered a lot physically in the first half.
“After that, mentally as well I believe that the lack of confidence, linked with the physical aspect, made us lose some balls where they took advantage of it.
“Overall, on top of that, we made some defensive mistakes, where they took advantage of it as well. In the second half, it was all us.
ARSENE WENGER LATEST: COULD WENGER RESIGN AS BOSS?
“But we lacked a bit of sharpness and freshness physically, to make the difference.
“At the moment, we play too many games and are charged negatively on top of that because we lose them. So it’s difficult.”
Gunners legend Thierry Henry refused to call on his former Gunners boss to quit but when asked on Sky Sports whether he would want the job should it become available, the Belgium assistant manager said: “Listen, I’m a competitor, you don’t back down from a challenge.
“We are hypothetically speaking before people jump ahead of everything, (but) I have never backed down from a challenge since I was young.”
Arsenal’s record goalscorer added: “If you love a place and they ask – I repeat, they ask – for help, you are always going to say yes.
Wenger’s side face a make-or-break Europa League round-of-16 tie against AC Milan, with the first leg at the San Siro on Thursday.
ARSENAL IN NUMBERS
9 – with nine games remaining, Arsenal are already mathematically eliminated from title contention – 33 points behind leaders Manchester City with 27 to play for.
13 – points behind rivals Tottenham in the race for fourth place and Champions League qualification.
4 – successive defeats for the Gunners in three different competitions, with Brighton adding to back-to-back losses against Manchester City (league and Carabao Cup final) as well as Ostersund in the Europa League.
44.8 – Arsenal’s Premier League winning percentage this season (13 out of 29 games) is their lowest under Wenger.
11 – Wenger’s side have not kept a clean sheet in their 11 Premier League games since beating Newcastle 1-0 in December, leaving goalkeeper Petr Cech stuck on 199 clean sheets in the competition.
41 – goals conceded in this season’s Premier League – they conceded only three more in the whole of last season, and only 26 in their ‘Invincible’ season of 2003-04.
£101million – fees paid for strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who between them have scored 11 league goals for the Gunners this season.