Arsenal Supporters' Trust 'extremely concerned' by reports Arsene Wenger will renew his contract

Reports have suggested that the Frenchman is determined to stay on at the club

Arsenal fans protest against Wenger during their side's recent defeat by West Brom (Getty)

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) has expressed “extreme concern” over recent reports suggesting that Arsene Wenger is set to be offered a new contract at the club.

Although Wenger has faced increasing pressure to step down as manager, with his team enduring their worst sequence of Premier League results during his long tenure, it’s understood the Frenchman remains determined to stay on at the Emirates.

Such reports have left Arsenal’s “anti-Wenger’ fans outraged, including the 1,000-strong AST.

Tim Payton, a member of the Trust, revealed plans to hold a survey to gauge feelings about Wenger.

Payton said: “The AST is extremely concerned about the current situation at Arsenal and the apparent vacuum in decision making.

“Recent results have not been good enough and matters must improve. We are also concerned about the drift in decision making at the club with the contract situation of so many key players at stake.

“The AST does not usually survey its members on football issues during the season but results in recent weeks have led us to conclude there is an urgent requirement to now do so.

“The situation around the manager’s contract is of great importance to the future of the club and yet the decision seems to have been outsourced to just one man. This is wrong.”

Former Arsenal midfielder David Platt claimed the whole furore around Wenger could be “very damaging” for the club and questioned why the Frenchman publicly revealed he had made a decision regarding his future after defeat at West Brom.

Platt, in an interview with beIN Sports, said: “To me, it seems bizarre that he can go into a press conference after a result like that and then tease us. None of us is any the wiser with the words he comes out with.

“All this talk and all the things that he’s saying there are actually giving the players an excuse to create uncertainty around the place.

“Even if he’s leaving, sign the contract and put a clause in it. For want of a better word, lie so you can settle things down and get on with it, qualify for the Champions League and then leave in the summer because that prize is too big.

“It can be so damaging, especially for a club like Arsenal. They want to run it financially well, fair enough, but you have one year out of that Champions League and that’s a lot of money and you’re not competing for the top players either.”