Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has called on Arsene Wenger to step aside as Gunners manager so one of his previous players can take the role. 

The 45-year-old Frenchman recommended that Wenger still stay at the club but suggested the likes of Dennis Bergkamp or Tony Adams could step in and take the manager's role, per MailOnline's David Sneyd:

I am pretty sure he has to stay at the club but maybe it's time for him to open the door for something else as well. When I look at the former players from Arsenal, how many of them have their badges to manage a team?

Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, many, many great players, they have their own statue in front of the stadium. I think Arsene... it's good to share the place with someone else and try to open the door to the former players.

Wenger last led Arsenal to the Premier League title over a decade ago, and they look set to miss out again this season as they trail leaders Leicester City by 11 points.

The north London outfit are also out of the FA Cup after losing to Watford on Sunday, and they are staring down the barrel of another last-16 exit in the Champions League, potentially for the sixth year running.

Arsenal play Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday trailing 2-0 from the opening match at the Emirates.

Given that Wenger's side have lost four of their last six matches, while the Blaugrana have gone 37 games unbeaten, Arsenal's chances of turning the tie around look very slim indeed.

As far as Petit is concerned, there is no chance of his former club advancing to the quarter-finals, per Sneyd:

I think [Wenger] needs to be honest with them as well. If I was an Arsenal player, I would think to myself, "we lost the first leg 2-0, I haven't seen a team win 3-0 against Barcelona, it's impossible, how can we pretend to win against the best team in Europe when we can't win at home to Watford?"

Barcelona are living in their own world for the last four, five years, it's just like Spain. What they are doing is unbelievable, they have this magician with [Lionel] Messi but they have more magicians in the team now. The gap between Arsenal and Barcelona is huge, in terms of performances, titles, the way they are every time they come on the pitch. There is no team better than Barcelona.

Since he burst on to the scene in English football, winning three Premier League titles and three FA Cups in his first eight years as Arsenal boss, Wenger has been consistent if unspectacular.

He has consistently qualified Arsenal for the Champions League, but they have reached the final only once—in 2006, when they lost to Barca.

The Frenchman's last Premier League title win came in 2004 and Petit is not the only person suggesting it might be time for him to call it a day after almost 20 years in the job.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones also believes the summer would be the ideal time for Wenger, 66, to step down:

Arsenal undoubtedly have the quality in their side to have made a much better fist of their title push this season given that perennial challengers Manchester United and Chelsea have been nowhere to be seen.

However, just three top-flight victories in 10 games since the turn of the year has seen them drop off the pace, and Wenger must shoulder much of the blame.

This year, of all seasons, offered him the perfect opportunity for a fourth Premier League title, and if Wenger does indeed end the season empty-handed once more it seems more and more people will call for him to step down as Gunners manager.