Arsene Wenger Slams Arsenal Shareholder Alisher Usmanov After Crisis Reports

Arsene Wenger has criticised Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov for his suggestion the club needs to "strengthen every position."

Usmanov's comments were reported by Matt Clinch and Geoff Cutmore of CNBC. Wenger indicates the club's second-biggest shareholder is going against the club's values by speaking out at a difficult time for the team, reported by Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph: 

"

We have values at this club, the first one is when we go through a difficult period we show solidarity. The second one is when we have something to say, you say it face to face and not in the newspaper.

When you are from this club you are from this club. You are in or out, you cannot be both. It is not unhelpful. I don't give it a big importance. What is important is how close we are inside the club and how much we can respond to people who question our quality.

"

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Wenger's future as Arsenal manager is in serious doubt, according to various newspaper reports in England.

The French boss, who watched his side lose 2-1 to Manchester United at the Emirates on Saturday, is said to be under increasing pressure, as noted by 101 Great Goals' tweet:

David Woods of the Daily Star reports that Wenger entered "crisis talks" with Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis on Monday, a meeting that "is not thought to be a regular occurrence."

Usmanov suggested Wenger's standing as "a great man" shouldn't stop the board from making a change. The Russian's comments appear to have irritated the manager, per Clinch and Cutmore:

"

I like Arsene for his principles, but principles are a sort of restriction. And restrictions are always lost possibilities. That's why sometimes coaches even without principles became the coaches of great teams and some coaches with principles lose because some positions in team are vacant because of ethical, moral or personal views.

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Tim Ireland/Associated Press

While Usmanov confirms that "there is officially money in the club," he also suggests that Arsenal "need to strengthen every position" to compete with Europe's elite. Wenger failed to adequately galvanise his team's chances with ample signings during the summer. He failed to bring in a defensive replacement for Thomas Vermaelen and a destructive midfielder to anchor Arsenal's play.

Piers Morgan, one of the club's most vocal famous fans, was among the many to suggest Wenger's time is up. BBC 606 tweeted his comments:

A recent poll on Gunners fan site AFC4Life.co.uk, via Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star, recently asked supporters whether it's time for Wenger to leave Arsenal. From 803 votes, 87 percent suggested he should exit.

This kind of damning verdict is likely to put the board in a difficult position if Arsenal's slump of three games without victory continues.

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Wenger has enjoyed plenty of loyalty over the years in similar situations—deservedly so—but the reality is his tenure has yielded just the FA Cup and the Community Shield since the club's era of dominance ended in 2004-05.

In February, Chairman Peter Hill-Wood downplayed reactions that are "a bit hysterical," according to Graeme Bailey of Sky Sports. Hill-Wood backed Wenger and noted that major shareholder Stan Kroenke "is very supportive too."

Woods believes the American has become "increasingly aware of the frustrations of Gunners fans" after the United loss, suggesting problems have worsened since Arsenal's poor run of form at the start of the year.

Wenger is currently the longest-serving manager in English football, having arrived in 1996. Like United's struggles with David Moyes after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, there's the worry that things could become a whole lot worse once Wenger leaves.

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Arsenal will be wary of getting into the routine of sacking if the current boss is to be dismissed. The last thing fans want to see is knee-jerk reactions to situations—similar to what happens at rivals Tottenham—but Wenger's future has been in and out of the headlines for years now. Winning the FA Cup once every decade simply isn't enough.

Wenger's men face a Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night before their Saturday trip to West Brom in the Premier League. These are difficult matches, both of which could have a major say in Wenger's future if a decision is being mulled over.

Arsenal are currently two points off the Champions League places and can all but give up on closing the 15-point gap to Chelsea—something Wenger noted himself—if both sides are to continue in their current form.

The manager needs immediate results to ease the pressure or else reports may finally highlight consequences in the not-too-distant future.