Speculation over the manager’s future is blazing through the fans and media. With a two-year offer reportedly on the table, the discussion until the latest results was about whether Arsene would sign it before the summer. Suddenly, we’re talking about Wenger deciding his future as soon as this month!

I have always taken a non-volatile stance on both sides of the argument. This is a result of knowing and fearing how much worse it could be, while agreeing with the sentiment that the club and the players continue to slide out of dominance. It is that dominance that we miss the most; a confidence in our own ability and the opponent’s acknowledgment of our quality. Clubs do not fear the Arsenal anymore. It has a negative effect on being able to play the composed football that we insist on. Regardless of opinion, this would be a result of the manager’s ideals or his approach in the players that he has brought in.

The knives are being hurled from all angles at the manager. I believe that the board would step in if the downward spiral was to continue, but Wenger has never let it get that far. It is interesting that the vast majority of supporters expect the top-four-survival bump at the end of the season. This is a testament to what has been delivered year after year, despite its boring predictability.

There is not a general sentiment of confidence that Arsene will know when the time is right to call it. The media suggests that he releases his future plans early in order to have a comfortable end of the season. Fans cringe at the thought of his future having a direct influence on the players. Articles continue to reference this for the likes of Ozil, Sanchez, and Bellerin. I can not decide what the best move would be. Perhaps, a window of opportunity has just opened up.

Arsene’s desire would be to remain involved with the club in some capacity. I do not think that his presence would have a negative impact on the new manager, were he to move into the background. It is also difficult to imagine that he sees this point in his career to take on a national team (presumably France). With Luis Enrique stepping down at Barcelona and speculation over Allegri at Juventus, a potential merry-go-round of some top European clubs may be occurring. Wenger has always admitted his admiration for Messi, and one would struggle to dream up another chance to manage him. Juve also seems like a viable option, as Arsene may be ready to manage a dominant club in their respective leagues.

The reason that I analyze this and speculate is that there are now reasonable alternatives for the first time since the debate over Arsene Wenger began. He has made less of an effort to hide his anxiety and disappointment on the touch-line. There is little argument against the presence of a truly undesirable cycle being apparent to everyone, including the manager.

The things that we love the most about the club are personified in Arsene – our donation to Lincoln City, the type of players in the squad, the aura of respectability. These are wasted attributes if the team fails to compete at the top of the table and qualify for all top competitions. The next few fixtures are (hopefully) predictable, and fans will anxiously await to see what will now be a recovery. Like most, I find it very frustrating that we are left in the dark on the inner-workings of the club. Arsene Wenger will have some heavy decisions to make and would prefer to keep it as graceful and respectable as possible. The question is, who would be the best fit to replace him?

• Read a post from the beginning of the season where we were convinced that the manager had a new outlook.
• Check out the Media page for podcasts, features, and highlights!