When asked about his future at Arsenal on Sunday, Arsene Wenger admitted that he didn’t know whether he would still be manager next season.

Speaking to the press after Arsenal’s lacklustre 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Wenger simply stated: “Who knows?” when asked whether he would be manager next season.

The 68-year-old has until the end of next season on his contract but, considering how awful Arsenal are performing this term, his time in north London could be cut short. Not that the fans believe it actually will at this stage.

wenger city final
(GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

What struck me as odd about Wenger’s answer is, how petulant it seemed. Usually, when managers are asked about their future, they dodge the question or deny that anything is amiss behind the scenes. They don’t simply give the verbal equivalent of a shrug.

Did Wenger do this because he genuinely doesn’t know? Or because, in his position, he knows he’s not going to get sacked so can afford to be flippant?

Or is he just being his usual, stubborn, slightly moody, vague self and deliberately being childish.

No matter the reason, Wenger’s uncertainty – genuine or not – over his future in north London hints at a bigger problem.

If the manager is so casual when talking about the potential end of an almost 22-year reign at Arsenal, how can we expect him to motivate players? Not only are his methods no longer working but he seems tired. How is that inspiring in the slightest?

The fact that this attitude seems to have infected the entire club from top to bottom is infuriating. How has it been allowed to continue this long?

Wenger’s revelation that he doesn’t actually know whether he’ll be at Arsenal next season was accompanied by the usual cliches about City being better and mistakes being made. But the biggest mistake of all will be keeping the Frenchman in charge past the end of this season.

If the manager know or doesn’t care enough to give a proper answer when asked about his future at the club he loves, we’ve got far bigger problems than just being humiliated by City.