Frozen out: Arsenal board turn against Arsene Wenger and draw up list of replacements as players lose faith

Arsenal players and the board are turning against under-pressure Arsene Wenger.

Wenger is facing a desperate battle to win back their confidence and it looks increasingly likely he will leave the Emirates this summer.

Mirror Sport revealed that Wenger’s position will be reviewed at the end of the season and the club held a board meeting on Monday with growing doubts among the hierarchy.

Wenger, 68, knows he is under massive pressure to get into the Champions League and winning the Europa League looks his only route.

But he claims to be “amazed” that his position should even be questioned.

He refused to answer whether his job depended on qualifying for the Champions League, saying: “I don’t want to come out always on that, I have answered that already. Yes, I answered that question. Our target is to qualify for the top four, of course.

“I have been here for 21 years, I turned the whole world down to respect my contracts. So I am still amazed that I still have to answer these types of questions.

“My job is to protect the players and to get them to focus on the next performance. I am responsible.

“I get the plaudits when it goes well, so I have to take the bad when it doesn’t go well. It’s part of the job.”

However, it can be revealed that a growing number of players have lost faith in Wenger and whether he can take the club and the team forward.

There is a feeling within the squad that it is time for change after a disappointing season which has seen them slip to sixth place, crash out of the FA Cup and lose the Carabao Cup final.

There could also be a backlash from fans following the cup final defeat but the players are worried about being able to compete, fear they are slipping behind tactically and there were complaints that a tough training schedule in the build-up to the final left them shattered.

They still have huge respect for Wenger and like him but several influential players believe the time is right for change if they are to turn things around.

The Arsenal hierarchy have already begun succession planning and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke’s son Josh is taking an increased role at the club.

They are drawing up a list of potential replacements with Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim and former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta – now at Manchester City – at the top of the list.

The board meeting was called to rubber stamp the club’s latest financial figures – which showed a pre-tax profit of £25.1million for the six months ending 30 November 2017 because of big money sales last summer – but there is a clear message from above that time might be up.