Friday 24 March 2017 19:37, UK
Arsenal legend Robert Pires believes it is imperative that Arsene Wenger remains at the club beyond the end of the season.
Wenger has yet to announce whether he will continue as Arsenal boss, having spent almost 21 years in charge of the Gunners, although he said at the weekend he has reached a decision and will soon make his intentions public.
Six defeats in their last nine matches have seen the Gunners knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich and slip out of the top four in the Premier League.
That has led to increased calls from a section of the club's fanbase for Wenger to call time on his reign at Arsenal but Pires says his compatriot must stay in order to give the club stability.
"The most important thing is for Arsene Wenger to extend his contract," Pires told Premier League Daily on Sky Sports News HQ
"I think Arsenal need stability and Arsene Wenger is very important for Arsenal for now and for next season.
"I believe in Arsene Wenger because for me it was a privilege to work with him for six seasons. The team we had was not perfect but it was good and we won some titles.
"I am a privileged man because I am still training with the team and I hope I can give some advice to the players. I talk to Arsene Wenger every morning and I hope he can bring some stability to the club."
Saturday's 3-1 loss at West Brom was Arsenal's fourth defeat in five Premier League matches and Pires hopes the players can demonstrate more vigour in order to secure a top-four finish and lift the FA Cup.
"It's been very difficult for maybe two months," said Pires, who was voted as the sixth greatest player in Arsenal's history in a poll conducted by the club in 2008.
"Unfortunately, we lost against Bayern Munich in the Champion League, we lost some games in the Premier League including the last one against West Brom.
"There are some troubles with the team but the players need to carry on. It's very strange, sometimes you play good, sometimes it's not good because some players maybe need more spirit, but the quality is there.
"A lot of fans talk about Arsene Wenger but I think he is the manager for Arsenal.
"The players and Arsene Wenger need to fight and right now there are two objectives for Arsenal. The first is to finish in the top four so they can play in the Champions League again next season and of course it is very important to win the FA Cup."
Asked whether Arsenal were missing leaders of the ilk of his former-team-mates Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Patrick Vieira, Pires said: "Yes I think so. I repeat the quality is there in the squad but especially when you play in the Premier League you need fight, spirit and commitment.
"When you see the names [of the players] on paper and on the pitch - they are great players like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez but for me the most important thing is Arsenal are missing Santi Cazorla.
"Santi Cazorla is one of the best players at Arsenal. He has been injured now for more than four months and this has been a big problem for Arsenal."
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