Joe Cole fears Mikel Arteta will be sacked if Arsenal fail to beat Norwich City in their next Premier League outing.
The Gunners sit bottom of the league with no points and no goals from their opening three games.
Arteta has seen his side ship nine goals in that time despite adding over £150m of new talent in the summer.
The Arsenal boss has had to deal without several regular players due to Covid issues, but the results at the Emirates have still been well below par.
A disappointing eighth place finish last term meant pressure was already on the Spaniard before a ball was even kicked.
But the nature of their defeats thus far, the most recent a 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City, has left alarm bells ringing and Cole believes the end could be near with another bad result.
He told Coral via Metro : "The future at Arsenal is obviously up in the air. I know they've played Chelsea, they played Manchester City, the two best teams, but it's the manner of both defeats.
"They had all pre-season to prepare for the Brentford game and they got it wrong on the day because they weren't at it mentally.
"That has happened too much with the Arsenal. That's not Arteta's fault. It's been something that's just been like damp getting into the woodwork at the club.
"In the two defeats against the big boys, it was like they laid down and died.
"I do like how Arteta has handled the situation. He is hardening as a manager, you can see that in him.
"So, I think he's got that. He's obviously a well-schooled coach because of his work with Pep. He's a thoughtful guy.
"He's in the storm at the moment. He has to find a result against Norwich and if he doesn't beat Norwich, I think it's probably the end for him."
Norwich also sit in the relegation zone without a point having lost their opening three games.
The Canaries were promoted last term and, even with Arsenal's poor form, will be firm underdogs to win at the Emirates.
Gunners chief Edu has defended the club amid scathing criticism.
He has backed their transfer policy but understands that results need to change quickly.
"The balance is not easy to get but again, we believe in what we are doing," he told Sky Sports.
"Talking about my role, I understand the pressure. I understand the pressure on me, Mikel, the board and the club because the situation we are in now is not acceptable.
"But , now is the moment for everybody to be together and I would like to see people step forward in difficult moments and take the responsibility."
