The 2016/17 season has been pretty torrid for Arsenal fans. Despite a second place finish behind shock champions Leicester and automatic qualification for the Champions league last term, Arsenal haven’t come close to the same form this year, crashing out of Europe spectacularly in what can only be described as a demolition by Bayern Munich. They are now struggling to get close to the top four spots after a string of draws and losses that has detracted from some good early season results. Although they have a strong squad and some world class players, the small group of fans that have been calling for Wenger’s head over the last few seasons is now a raging crowd at every home game. Banners and chants are starting to dominate support at the Emirates and there is now endless specualtion whether the Arsenal board will keep Wenger at the end of the season. It is a crucial point in Arsenal’s Premier League history, with many different outcomes that will influence how the clubs looks at the start of the 2017/18 season.

Fans and pundits alike have proportioned a lot of blame on the players as well as the manager, with certain individuals singled out over the season for either a lack of passion or workrate. German attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil, who is without doubt one of the most visionary distributors of the ball on his best day, has been labelled lazy yet again, with many frustrated by his lack of consistency when it matters. Key attackers Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott should be fighting hard to dominate their England places, but both seem off pace and lacklustre at the moment, only showing flashes of brilliance amongst some mediocre performances. Even reliable stalwarts like Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny know that they have been below par, with Ramsey in particular commenting to the press that the players almost owe Wenger a trophy after their abysmal performances in the league and in Europe. Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain, along with many others, are out of contract in a year and based on the status quo, it looks likely that they will be looking for trophies and top flight European football if someone else comes knocking.

The stand out player for Arsenal at the moment is winger Alex Sanchez. He has been something of a Talisman since he joined in 2014, but the lack of wins and constant pressure has began to take it’s toll on the Chilean. The media have played up to training ground bust ups and alleged fall-outs with both manager and players, along with claims from Sanchez that the Gunners aren’t trying hard enough to win games, but surely there is no smoke without fire. There is endless transfer speculation and he could walk into most top teams based on his skill alone. It seems almost certain that Arsenal will line up without him at the end of the summer, with Juventus and Barcelona eyeing up big money transfers. The only possibility of him staying is if he opted to see out his contract and leave on a free next year, or if by some miracle Arsenal manage to convince him to stay with a gigantic wage and buyout clause. However, the odds are stacked against this outcome massively and it seems that his fate is all but sealed.

The big problem Arsenal could face next season is failing to qualify for the Champion’s League automatically. If their key players aren’t playing in Europe, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll go elsewhere. Replacing someone like Sanchez isn’t easy and none of Arsenal’s youth lineup look like they could come close. If Wenger still has the reins in May, he will need to recruit heavily to not only maintain his squad strength, but to build a team that won’t be left high and dry with injuries and suspensions.

All of Wenger’s problems could be meaningless in the summer if he is pushed out of the club. With an FA cup final around the corner against league leaders and potential champions Chelsea and a handful of league games remaining, Arsenal still have the slightest chance of making the top four and lifting a trophy, albeit with greatly reduced odds compared to the start of the season. It seems these two crunch moments will dictate heavily how Arsenal start the next campaign in August.