His mind, he says, is made up about his future and for Arsène Wenger, it has nothing at all to do with Arsenal’s prospects of finishing in the top four or not in May.

Wenger, speaking after his team’s comprehensive 3-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, suggested that he knew his decision on his future and would announce it “very soon”, and he went on to stress that this would be a decision based not on where Arsenal finish in the Premier League standings.

“I take a bigger perspective than that – it is not the last result that decides,” said Wenger, whose side ended the weekend further adrift from the Champions League places in sixth spot, six points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, who have played two games more, and two behind Manchester United. “It will not necessarily be linked with that. I’ve done the top four twenty times, it is not that.”

West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings <b>West Brom:</b> Boaz Myhill – 7 out of 10 Left stranded for Giroud’s header as he was given no chance from close range. Otherwise commanded his area very well, and his good day’s work was summed up with a late save from Koscielny’s volley. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Craig Dawson – 7 out of 10 Had his work cut out in the second half as Sanchez switched to the left. But he did well to reduce the threat from Gibbs and frustrated the Chilean forward late on. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Jonny Evans – 7 out of 10 Showed his valuable experience as he stuck to Giroud in open play, giving the Frenchman no chance of getting a clear-cut effort on goal. West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Jonas Olsson – 5 out of 10 At fault for Giroud’s opener as he lost his man at Özil’s free-kick. Guilty of messing around with the ball ahead of Arsenal’s penalty, though that may have had its desired effect on Cazorla. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Chris Brunt – 7 out of 10 Perfect delivery gave Morrison the chance to score from his free-kick. Tried to get forward when possible, but today he knew his duty came in defence and he forced Bellerin to try and go outside him each time he attacked. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings James Morrison – 8 out of 10 Expertly finished with the outside of his right foot to volley home and level the scores from a Brunt free-kick. Worked his socks off to try and disrupt the Arsenal midfield axis, with a fair amount of success. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Darren Fletcher – 6 out of 10 Sat quite deep to partner Yacob in shielding the back-four, although he didn’t have many stand-out moments. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Claudio Yacob – 6 out of 10 Another who was fairly anonymous when it came to game-changing decisions, but he was always in position to cut out a killer ball and Tony Pulis could ask no more of him. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings James McClean – 8 out of 10 Fantastic run down the left before crossing into goal-mouth produced Arteta’s own-goal. He gave Bellerin plenty to think about as he drifted across the midfield at will. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Stephane Sessegnon – 6 out of 10 Played in McClean for the second after committing Koscielny to pull Arsenal’s defence ragged. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Solomon Rondon – 5 out of 10 Fairly anonymous and was hauled off for Saido Berahino in the second half. The England Under-21 striker looked much more of a threat. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings <b>Arsenal:</b> Petr Cech – 6 out of 10 Slightly off his line which allowed Morrison to volley the ball over his head, but there was little he could do for the second goal. Reaction save stopped a late Berahino effort although the whistle had already gone. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin – 6 out of 10 Lost Morrison for the goal as he was caught napping when the ball was airborne. Looked short on match fitness, although he was his ever keen self to work down the right in search of the equaliser. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Laurent Koscielny – 5 out of 10 Still not his normal self and Wenger was right to question whether he should play him in the build-up to the match. Simple header back to Cech went for a corner, and he lost Berahino late on. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Per Mertesacker – 5 out of 10 Went AWOL for the second goal which forced Arteta back into defence. Looked nervy on the ball, and still struggles to connect with attacking aerial balls. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal – 6 out of 10 The Spaniard didn’t press forward as much as he has recently with Gibbs in front of him sticking to the left, and that had an impact on Arsenal’s attacking threat as there were few overlaps from the left-back. Fairly solid in defence though, with little threat coming down his flank. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Francis Coquelin – 5 out of 10 Lasted just 13 minutes after his own sliding tackle saw him suffer a knock to his knee. Replaced by Mikel Arteta, with disastrous consequences. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Santi Cazorla – 4 out of 10 His form has deserted him recently. His passing was terrible in attacking positions, and his dreadful penalty attempt sums up Arsenal’s day. Slipped as he kicked the ball, sending it into his standing foot and over the bar. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Alexis Sanchez – out of 10 Worked extremely hard but couldn’t fashion many chances for himself. One clear effort saw the ball escape his reach with the goal at his mercy. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Mesut Ozil – 7 out of 10 Broke the record for consecutive assists as his floated free-kick saw Giroud head home to register a seventh straight game in which he’s set up a goal. Probed throughout and looked to be Arsenal’s creator for the equaliser – only it never came. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Kieran Gibbs – 5 out of 10 Dangerous cross late in the first half went unpunished as no one in red could reach it. Not an out-and-out attacking player though and it showed, and he was replaced by Joel Campbell with half an hour to go. West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Olivier Giroud – 6 out of 10 Emotion poured out of him before kick-off as La Marseillaise rang out, and he soon had something to shout about as he headed in Ozil’s free-kick. Booked late in the first half as Arsenal lost their way, and he faded in the second half. 2015 Getty Images West Brom vs Arsenal player ratings Mikel Arteta – 1 out of 10 Terrible introduction for injured Coquelin after 13 minutes in. Conceded the free-kick that led to Morrison’s goal – though he appeared to get a toe on the ball – before handling in an own-goal to give Baggies the lead. His nightmare outing was capped when he was injured three minutes after the break, and was replaced by Mathieu Flamini having played 36 minutes. 2015 Getty Images

Wenger’s comments will not end the guessing game over his future. The latest rumour to emerge over the weekend was of a one-year deal, rather than the two-year extension originally offered, though amid the current uncertainty gripping the club about his next move, it is understood Arsenal’s board are making contingency plans and considering potential replacements for the Frenchman.

Whether it is Wenger or another manager at the Arsenal helm in August, they are unlikely to have Champions League football to plan for on the evidence of Saturday’s dismal performance by a team embarrassingly short on spirit and determination.

With four defeats in five matches, Arsenal are on their worst Premier League run since the days of Stewart Houston’s caretaker reign in the spring of 1995 and there is no guarantee of things improving after the international break given Manchester City are their next opponents at the Emirates on 2 April.

As it is, Wenger believes Arsenal could cope with an absence from the Champions League, a competition in which they have participated for each of the last 19 seasons. “On the sporting front it would be a blow but financially the Champions League does not have the impact that it had five, six years ago because of the influx of the television money,” said the 67-year-old whose club earned £100.95m from the Premier League last season compared with £48.5million from the Champions League.

If missing out on the Champions League will not affect Wenger’s thinking, the mood around the club might still do – and there was no hiding the supporter discontent on display at the Hawthorns on Saturday. There were ‘Wenger out’ banners and chants respectively seen and heard in the away end, and two planes – one pro, the other anti – circled the skies overhead. “I don’t judge other people,” said Wenger. “I give my best and as long as I will be at the club if it’s for two more years, if it’s for ten more years, if it’s for one month… it’s not the difference. Everybody has to look at himself.

The circus now surrounding a man who has spent 21 years at Arsenal even led an old adversary, West Brom manager Tony Pulis, to speak up in his defence. “I will say this,” said Pulis. “I will think he is the greatest manager Arsenal have ever had.”

Craig Dawson scored twice to pile yet more misery on Wenger and Arsenal (Getty) (Getty Images)

That may be so, but there was little evidence of such appreciation from his current Arsenal team, who did not play like a side eager to help their manager out of a hole. Arsenal were second-best in every department on Saturday bar one – possession. They could not handle Albion’s counterattacking strategy, and nor, moreover, their set-piece threat, which led to two headed goals from centre-back Craig Dawson.

Alan Shearer on Match of the Day accused Arsenal of defending like an “Under-10 team”. Pulis had a more detailed explanation of their set-piece failings: “They mark [with] five players across the six-yard box and have two players who try and block your runners. So if you get away from one of the blocks you are running at a standing object and [with] someone with a standing jump working against a person with a running jump, I’ll bet my bottom dollar the person with the running jump will score. We’ve worked on that but you have to have someone who wants to head it and you have to have the quality that comes in.”