Arsene Wenger will be remembered at Arsenal as a manager who outstayed his welcome

For those who have lived through and endured recent seasons, Arsene Wenger will be remembered as the manager who outstayed his welcome.

Just because he is stepping down at the end of the season - news he confirmed on Friday at his own press conference - the temptation of many is to ignore the present, preferring to concentrate on the good of yesteryear, of which there is plenty to saviour and celebrate.

But this is a sad and overdue end, one which should have arrived at least four years ago in the wake of the FA Cup victory of 2014, and that was with foresight, not hindsight.

In time, of course, generations after us will only read about the innovation, the trophies, the longevity, the gentleman that is Arsene Wenger.

For now, though, we cannot escape the pain of the present. Arsenal have been allowed to drift under his charge for the best part of seven years. Take a look at their Champions League progress in that time - seven consecutive round of 16 exits.

This season they did not even qualify. The drift has turned to drowning. Yes, there remains the potential salvation of a Europa League triumph and backdoor entry into Europe’s premier competition, but the fact they are fighting Burnley for sixth place in the Premier League tells the story of just how far they have fallen.

To the backdrop of their regression has been supporter unrest, protest and in-fighting. That, however, was when they cared, when Arsenal’s woes were headlines news. Now, there is apathy, empty seats, newspaper coverage relegated towards the racing page as opposed the back page.

In short, we’re bored of Wenger, bored of Arsenal. We’ve seen it all before, heard it all before, and so have their own fans.

They will romanticise about him between now and his final farewell, but this was a relationship which had long since turned sour. They will tell their kids and grandkids he was great, that he revolutionised both the football club and English football - and he did - but only those painting the full picture will tell their offspring, ‘It was pretty damn toxic for the last few years though’.

Wenger just could not accept his own inability to address the flaws in a team which, no matter the personnel, possessed the same strengths and weaknesses year on year.

His last match before confirming his impending departure was at Newcastle last Sunday, a 2-1 defeat. Those 90 minutes were a microcosm of the Arsenal we have come to both love and loathe.

Lots of possession, lots of pretty patterns and lots of chances, even. But were they clinical? No. Were they up for the fight against dogged opponents? No. Were they ever going to recover having lost their lead? Not a chance. Instead, they just carried on passing. All they were doing, in fact, was passing time.

And so time has come to pass on Wenger. He deserves our respect and our thanks, he has achieved so much and did it all with class and dignity. But he will not enjoy the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson, who left Manchester United at the right time.

Wenger did not, he stayed too long. He did so for what he believed were the right reasons, of course, but it was the wrong decision, year on year, and that, at least for now, is how he will be remembered.