Shkodran Mustafi says Arsenal players must ignore the speculation around Arsene Wenger's future and think about only what they can control.

"The most important thing is to close the ears and focus on what is happening on the pitch," the defender said.

"We can't focus on the speculation and everything around us. It's the wrong time. We should just focus on what's happening on the pitch.

"Wenger has been here 20 years, he knows what he has to do. Now it's the players who have to go on the pitch and put in the performances."

There have been suggestions that the uncertainty over Wenger's future has been negatively affecting Arsenal, with four defeats in their last six Premier League matches seeing them slip seven points off the top four.

But Mustafi said: "If he says he wants to leave or wants to stay, is it really going to help or will it make it worse? Who knows? It's difficult to speak about those things."