Ultimatum for Emery

LONDON. — Unai Emery has until the new year to turn things around at Arsenal.

Club executives believe the next four English Premier League football games against Southampton, Norwich, Brighton and West Ham are a golden opportunity to lift the mood at the Emirates.

But it is the five games from mid-December to January 1 — which include meetings with Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United — that will decide Emery’s fate.

If they are still in touch with the top four after the home game against United on New Year’s Day then Emery will remain in charge at least until the end of the season.

But if they find themselves with no chance of achieving Champions League qualification through their league position, the club will reluctantly look to replace the struggling Spaniard. Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Leicester leaves Arsenal sixth in the table, nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester City and with only half the tally of leaders Liverpool.

The official line coming out of the Emirates is that the manager still has the “100 per cent support” of head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu.

But that backing is not unconditional and Emery needs to address problems in several key areas to save his job. SunSport revealed Manchester City will NOT stand in Mikel Arteta’s way if Arsenal coming looking for a new manager. It is understood the North Londoners have their former player on a shortlist of candidates as a future boss. Arteta was devastated last year after being snubbed for the job as Emery came in to replace Arsene Wenger.

An Etihad source said: “Mikel loves working at City and learning from the best manager in the world in Pep.

“Everyone knows he wants to be his own man one day, though. Mikel still has a lot of affection for Arsenal from his playing days there.” Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has claimed that Emery should quit NOW and that club chiefs were lying when insisting his job is safe. The blistering attack comes after SunSport revealed the under-fire Spaniard has until the New Year to turn things around at the Gunners.

French World Cup Winner Petit has now joined the growing number of fans calling for Emery to quit, and tipped former teammates Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira to return to the club. — The Sun.