Arsenal are “getting worse”, says concerned Gunners legend Ian Wright, with something drastic needing to be done in order to clean up the mess left by former chief executive Ivan Gazidis.
In the eyes of a club icon, current struggles are a direct result of mismanagement from those behind the scenes.
Unai Emery has been the one to pay the price this season, with the Spanish tactician removed from a prestigious managerial post.
Wright concedes that no progress has been made since Arsene Wenger stepped down in the summer of 2018, but does not consider Emery to be at fault.
For him, Gazidis – who is now at Serie A giants AC Milan – is to blame for Arsenal losing their way.
Freddie Ljungberg has been charged with the unenviable task of overseeing a rescue job, but the Swede is finding out the hard way just how deep the Gunners are stuck in a rut.
Former frontman Wright told Premier League Productions: “It does make it very difficult for Freddie because Freddie hasn’t got anybody around him who are staff that he wants that can help him.
“Obviously the club have not given him the capabilities of having that.
“A decision has to be made because it cannot carry on like this because you’re seeing it’s not actually getting anywhere, it’s actually getting worse. Something has to be done.”
Arsenal have collected just one win from their last 12 games in all competitions, with a 3-0 defeat suffered at home to Manchester City in their most recent outing.
That setback has left them ninth in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of the top four.
Wright is concerned by the current state of affairs, adding on where he considers the responsibility for that to sit: “No, they’re not [any further on than when Wenger left].
“Whatever people say it was time for Arsene [to leave], simply because of the way the players were.
“It went stagnant, it wasn’t happening anymore for Arsenal.
“They tried with Unai Emery, it didn’t work out but you have to look at recruitment at the time and management of the club at the time under Gazidis and the mismanagement of funds and recruitment.
“This is where Arsenal are at the moment, I think they’re reeling from his time there, Gazidis.
“We’re seeing that we’re right in the middle of it now, the crux of it now.”
Arsenal will be back in action on Saturday when they take in a trip to Everton, who are also without a permanent manager at present.
They will then travel to Bournemouth on Boxing Day, take in a derby date with Chelsea as their last outing of 2019 and open the New Year with a home date against old adversaries Manchester United.