Laurent Koscielny admits that a “difficult situation” surrounding Arsene Wenger has made life tricky for Arsenal in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

The French coach boasts a faultless record of reaching Europe’s premier club competition during his time at the Gunners helm, but that run is in danger of coming to an end

Arsenal sit fifth in the Premier League at present, three points adrift of Manchester City in fourth, and are yet to reveal who their manager will be for the 2017-18 campaign.

Protests against Wenger have become commonplace as his contract runs down, and Koscielny concedes that uncertainty off the field has provided an unwelcome distraction for those trying to generate positive results on it.

He told Sky Sports: “It is a difficult situation when you don’t know what is happening with the boss but you are professional.

“We are players of this club and we just want to have the best results, not to think about our situation or the situation of the boss.

“We are all in the same boat and the top thing is Arsenal. Maybe some players don’t feel great but we need to be focused on our job and not worry about Arsene.”