At some point in the next year and a half, Arsene Wenger is expected to step down from his role as Arsenal manager, but who might end up leaving with him?
With results on the pitch going the way they have been in recent months, Wenger could be on the way out sooner rather than later.
There are a number of players and staff with a personal connection to the manager who may end going the same way. Here’s our list of the four people we think are most likely to follow him out of the door:
1Jack Wilshere
Whilst Wilshere has been an Arsenal player since the age of nine, it’s starting to look like he might be nearing the end of that spell. The England international is in the final few months of his contract with the club, and seemingly isn’t close to signing an extension.
The 26-year-old has a solid relationship with the fans, but you get the impression his connection to Arsene Wenger is even more important.
“I’ve got a great relationship with the boss here,” he admitted in January. “I’ve known him since I was 16. We have a good relationship, we talk most days.
“I’m sure if Danny was sat here and you asked that (who the teacher’s pet is), he’d say me. He always says that the boss is my dad.”
Wenger insists that Jack is “an Arsenal man” and that “nobody questions his love and commitment for the club”. The question is how much those feelings would change if the club got rid of the manager who gave the midfielder his first senior opportunities, and who stood by him through all his injury problems.
We might find out the answer before long.