The chaos at Arsenal laid bare by Granit Xhaka’s angry reaction to being booed by supporters is just the tip of the iceberg for a club on the brink of crashing into crisis and facing the threat of losing star players at the end of the season.

Head coach Unai Emery met with Xhaka on Monday and will consult with members of his Arsenal squad over whether or not the midfielder can continue as captain after responding to jeers following his substitution in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

But Telegraph Sport understands Emery is facing even bigger challenges as he attempts to keep Arsenal in contention for a top-four place that he needs to save him from the sack.

Other than costing Emery his job, failure to qualify for the Champions League will leave Arsenal with a huge fight to convince strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay at the Emirates.

Arsenal have been attempting to negotiate new contracts with Lacazette and top scorer Aubameyang. But one victory in their last four Premier League games has seen Arsenal fall four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and raised question marks over their bid to satisfy the pair by securing a place in next season’s Champions League.