Truthfully, Mikel Arteta's side were probably out of the race midway through last month, but yesterday's dismal display put the final nail in the coffin.
It was another game in which the Gunners struggled to put the ball in the back of the net, not that they created an abundance of chances, though.
Mikel-Merino-Arsenal-1
Moreover, it should be the final match in which Mikel Merino starts up top, as he's simply not cut out to lead the line, and Arteta now has another option at his disposal.
Why Arsenal's Merino experiment needs to end
The first thing to say is that while this is a critique of Merino's time leading the line, it's not a critique of his overall ability, as Arteta has asked him to play a role entirely unfamiliar to him over the last few weeks.
mikel-merino-arsenal-psv-champions-league
Moreover, while his performances haven't been good enough overall, his raw output, when looked at in isolation, is not terrible: three goals and one assist in five appearances.
However, football does not work like that, and when you examine those numbers more closely, they aren't as impressive as they first appear.
Mikel Merino as a striker - Arsenal stats
For example, two of his goals came in a short spell against relegation candidates Leicester City, while the other one, and his assist for that matter, came in the 7-1 drubbing of PSV Eindhoven, who were unfathomably dreadful last week.
Moreover, in the games against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United - games the Gunners had to win - the Spaniard failed to score or provide a single assist and picked up 5/10 match ratings for each display from journalist Tom Canton.
Mikel-Merino-Arsenal-Leny-Yoro
Finally, as many fans will likely attest, one of the most significant weaknesses of this Arsenal team is their lack of threat on the counter or transition, which the rather slow and immobile Merino only exacerbates when leading the line.
In all, the experienced international should be moved back into midfield for the rest of the season, especially as Arteta now has someone in the team who can replace him.
The Arsenal star who should start ahead of Merino
With Arsenal's injury list still significant and Raheem Sterling not a player Arteta trusts anymore, the options the Spaniard has to replace Merino up top remain narrow but not nonexistent.
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For example, Gabriel Martinelli returned to the fold yesterday evening, and while the £46m-rated star didn't exactly blow anyone away in his 23 minutes of action, he could and probably should be the man to start down the middle for the rest of the campaign.
There are a couple of reasons for this, with the first being the simple fact that unlike the former Real Sociedad ace and the other option of Leandro Trossard, the Brazilian ace would provide some much-needed pace to the striker position.
Martinelli's CF record for Arsenal
Appearances
16
Minutes
879'
Goals
9
Assists
0
Goals per Match
0.56
Goals per Minute
97.66
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Despite being somewhat out of form this season, the former Ituano gem is still the joint-third top scorer for the team and has one more strike to his name than the Belgian despite playing five fewer games.
Lastly, unlike Merino, the Brazilian has experience playing up top, a position pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor reckons he can more than dazzle in.
“Martinelli can be like Henry and Henry did it all. I don’t see why Martinelli can start in the centre and drift out wide. He’s got it all as a centre-forward.”
He's made 16 appearances for the club there, in which he's scored nine goals, working out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.77 games.
Ultimately, while there isn't an ideal solution to Arsenal's striker crisis at the moment, starting Martinelli down the middle instead of Merino is Arteta's best option.
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