Of the three-man committee that appointed Unai Emery in May 2018, only Raul Sanllehi is still at Arsenal.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis departed for AC Milan early into the Spaniard’s first season succeeding Arsene Wenger, before Sven Mislintat left his post as head of recruitment last February.

It would, then, be particularly ­poignant if the last man standing in the trio who chose Emery just 18 months ago was now breaking bread with Jose Mourinho over the prospect of ­becoming the next ­Gunners boss.

Arsenal have moved swiftly to dismiss one report claiming the pair met last week, an unusual move for a club not prone to public comment, and it is reflective of a genuine desire for Emery to turn things around.

Mourinho is keen on a return to ­management, having been out of work since being sacked from Manchester United 11 months ago, but Arsenal would have to separate the CV from the man to make him a serious candidate.

Upon announcing Emery’s appointment, Gazidis claimed the criteria was to identify an individual who plays “progressive, entertaining football”, has “a personality that fits with Arsenal’s values and a record of developing players, in particularly young players”.

None of that describes Mourinho. Then again, United’s philosophy is along very similar lines and they ended up making a Red Devil out of a man they once considered merely a devil, so nothing can be ruled out.

At present, Mourinho wants Arsenal much more than Arsenal want ­Mourinho. In any case, the Gunners are presently not minded to begin ­drawing up a shortlist because they believe Emery could yet instigate a revival.

Head of football Sanllehi, along with managing director Vinai Venkatesham and director Josh Kroenke, are reluctant to make a change and internally there is a determination not to go through a flurry of managers like United have done since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Emery still has credit in the bank from reaching May’s Europa League Final, helping youngsters including Matteo Guendouzi and Bukayo Saka emerge while facilitating Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s prolific scoring form.

But the problems are mounting and results have to improve quickly. Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Wolves was painful in its predictability. The cyclical failures that ultimately did for Wenger are starting to strangle Emery and the Spaniard does not possess the language skills to talk his way out of it.

Wenger’s eloquence under pressure became one of his greatest strengths in the latter years of his tenure and Emery has always struggled by comparison.

He continues to take English lessons and has become more confident when speaking publicly but Saka admitted after Arsenal’s win at Eintracht Frankfurt in September that the young players still struggle to understand his instructions.

Freddie Ljungberg’s promotion to first-team coach this season was designed to address this issue, given he enjoys a healthy relationship with the club’s youngsters from academy level.

Yet insiders at London Colney describe some senior players’ indifference towards Emery’s penchant for multiple and lengthy post-training meetings, elongated further by his average grasp of English.

Former Spain star Joaquin once joked that Emery “put on so many videos I ran out of popcorn” in reference to the ­number of detailed tactical sessions the 48-year-old arranges each week.

This was depicted initially as a strength, a welcome contrast to Wenger’s more laissez-faire approach, but few observers could watch Arsenal these days and conclude they are playing like a team deploying a carefully ­considered tactical style.

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Too often, it looks like barely-organised chaos and their inability to hold on to a lead raises questions about game-management which start with the ­players’ mentality and continue with Emery’s questionable substitutions.

The captaincy issue surrounding Granit Xhaka remains unsolved, with Emery having put himself in a difficult position by allowing the squad to pick their own skipper. The social media abuse Xhaka has received is a disgrace but a captain cannot tell his own fans to “f*** off” without any sanction.

However, firm punishment would risk alienating a dressing room Emery has to keep onside to help keep him in a job.

The respective plights of United and Tottenham are a reminder that underachievement is not presently Arsenal’s ­preserve.

But after a midweek run-out in the Europa League, Saturday’s game at Leicester pits them against a team presently showing that cracking the top four on a modest budget with attractive, controlled football is possible.

A defeat there would be particularly ­awkward for Emery and test Arsenal’s patience further still.