Freddie Ljungberg is losing his battle to convince staff he is the manager to rejuvenate Arsenal amid growing concerns star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubmeyang is ready to quit the club.
The Swede, 42, was installed as Gunners interim boss after Unai Emery’s sacking last week but has had a poor start, picking up just one point against Norwich and Brighton. Thursday’s 2-1 home defeat by the Seagulls stretched the club’s winless run to nine.
There is already apprehension over whether Ljungberg possesses the expertise to halt the club’s alarming slide, particularly their poor defensive record.
It is felt within the camp that the team are shipping too many goals and that sorting this out should be a priority.
But, given his lack of experience, there are concerns that Ljungberg may struggle to solve those deficiencies.
Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet since a 1-0 win against Bournemouth more than two months ago and have the joint- worst defensive record in the league’s top 10 — along with Spurs — having shipped 23 goals.
As one of Emery’s assistant coaches, Ljungberg played a peripheral role during training. As a result, there were doubts over his credentials even before his interim appointment.
The club were hoping a revered former player would spark an upturn in fortunes as they sought to buy time in identifying a long-term successor to Emery, much like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United last season.
Indeed, there was hope that Ljungberg could emerge as a serious contender for the full-time position. The chances of that now look bleak, although he is expected to have a while longer and will still be in charge for the visit to West Ham on Monday night. The Hammers would move level on points with Ljungberg’s men with victory.
There is still no unanimous decision from the Arsenal hierarchy over who their first-choice target should be to replace Emery, particularly after Brendan Rodgers signed a new long-term contract at Leicester on Friday.
It is understood Mikel Arteta would find the Arsenal job too good an opportunity to resist — despite being overlooked for the position 18 months ago — which makes the Manchester City assistant coach a contender. He also has support in the boardroom.
Carlo Ancelotti, whose position at Napoli is uncertain, is another emerging candidate.
If the Italian leaves his role in Naples, the chances of him replacing Emery would be enhanced provided Arsenal are not required to pay compensation.
Arsenal want a candidate who has past experience of working in the Premier League — which improves Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s prospects.