John Lydon has joined the chorus calling for the resignation of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. The PiL frontman and former Sex Pistols’ call has been made as the north London football team crashed out of the Champions League after suffering a humiliating 5-1 home defeat at the hands of Bayern Music. Arsenal lost 10-2 on aggregate. It was the club’s heaviest home defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking exclusively to Gigwise, life-long Arsenal fan Lydon says that the club is bigger than any one individual and that the time has come for Wenger to leave.

“He’s been there so long now that there seems to be no way of getting rid of him. He’s so deeply embedded and entrenched in the bureaucracy of the club that it seems impossible to pull him out of there,” says Lydon.

He continues: “I’d rather drop a league than continue with him. It’s mediocre and it’s unfair to us fans. I’m Arsenal for life and as far as I’m concerned managers can come and go, just like them superstar players who demand too much money. Fuck ‘em all! Remember: it’s a game but it’s a game to be enjoyed and that’s been missing for a few years over there.”

Lydon was speaking to Gigwise as he prepares for the publication of his book, Mr Rotten, a collection of 40 years worth of lyrics. As well as discussing his passion for Arsenal, Lydon – born and raised a stone’s throw away from Arsenal in Finsbury Park – revealed that figures from the world of comedy have informed his writing.