Arsenal: Would Finishing Outside Top 4 Spell The End for Wenger?

Arsenal currently find themselves outside the top 4. Would finishing in our current position in May spell the end for long term manager Arsene Wenger?

In recent memory, Arsenal seems to have always finished in the top 4 of the Premier League. Whether it be late runs or strong starts. We always seem to find a way to place ourselves in the Champions League spots. Other fans may ridicule such achievements but being able to consistently finish in the top 4 is something to be proud of.

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Of course every sane Gooner wants the big prize: The Premier League. But looking at recent seasons, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all missed out on the top 4 in the past while Arsenal haven’t. These are giants of the English game and their occasional failings highlight the remarkable nature of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger’s consistency.

Yet after some patchy form over the Christmas period (with only 1 point from the last 3 away matches). Arsenal find themselves outside the top 4 (albeit by only 1 point). Would missing out on Champions League football this season end Wenger’s reign at the club?

With 6 months left on his current contract, many fans are reflecting on Wenger’s time at Arsenal. His second decade may have been a lot less successful than his first. Yet he still remains the most successful manager in the club’s history. That is worth legend status in itself.

But it is the culture and the philosophy that Wenger has brought and developed that will live forever. Be it strict diets or early nights, the Frenchman revolutionised English football and can be seen as one of the Godfathers of the modern game.

Finishing in the top 4 may be now seen as a bare minimum but that accomplishment may not even occur this season for the Gunners. With the top 6 of the league breaking away. It looks like 2 of Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United will miss out on Europe’s premier competition.

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Despite an end to their winning run, Chelsea still look odds on for the title and definitely a top 4 place. Liverpool look impressive under Klopp, Tottenham and United have hit red hot form and City’s squad seems too strong to miss out.

This leaves Arsenal in a tough spot. This season may be the one where we see our run of consecutive top 4 finishes end. This spells trouble for Wenger…

While the board will never sack the Frenchman due to his mighty influence on the club. Failing to even qualify for the Champions League after aiming for the title may see Wenger resign himself.

Arsene has always been a firm believer in his own qualities (he wouldn’t have survived so long if he hadn’t). Yet such failure may create doubt about whether he is still competent enough to lead such a big club. Not qualifying for the Champions League would be catastrophic and may push the club into overhaul mode. New players, a new system, fresh ideas and most probably a new manager.

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With the league as competitive as ever, Arsenal will need to improve to even finish in the top 4. But my question remains Gooners: Would failure to qualify for the Champions League signal the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign?