Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery as head coach after 18 months in charge of the Gunners, the Premier League outfit has announced.
The Arsenal board were determined to give Emery every chance to change the club's fortunes but have now decided to dismiss the Spaniard.
A 2-1 defeat at home to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday's penultimate Europa League group game proved the straw that broke the camel's back for Emery.
Arsenal are below Burnley, Wolves and Sheffield United in the Premier League table and already languish eight points off the top four.
The Gunners have failed to win any of their last seven matches in all competitions since a dramatic 3-2 victory against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the end of October.
Arsenal have found it particularly tough away from home this season, with just two wins in nine games on the road in all competitions.
Emery replaced Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager in the summer of 2018 but has taken the club backwards in that time.
Assistant manager Freddie Ljungberg will take charge of the club's Premier League encounter with relegation-strugglers Norwich on Sunday.
Only Southampton (8) and West Ham (7) are on longer current winless streaks than Arsenal (5) in the Premier League.
It was an impossible job to come in after Wenger, so this should be no blemish on Emery's record, I don't think. Someone had to come in and be the scapegoat while the club re-builds. Tony Adams said recently he doesn't think the squad is good enough, but I wonder if supporters have patience for that argument. I have no hard feelings for Emery.