Mikel Arteta must improve his transfer market “know-how” to beat Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, Paul Merson has urged, to turn the Arsenal boss into an elite manager.
After losing fourth place to Spurs in the final weeks of the Premier League season, the Gunners are preparing a big summer in the market.
One player both clubs have been linked with is Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus, who is out of contract at Eastlands in a year’s time and could be available for a transfer.
For Arsenal legend Merson, signing the Brazilian would represent a marked change in Arteta’s strategy and present the club with a better chance of fighting Spurs.
“Elite managers just have that little bit more know-how,” he wrote for the Daily Star. “Conte got rid of players they had signed for a lot of money, and he brought in great players. Dejan Kulusevski. Wow. That's why he's an elite manager. And Arteta could be too one day - but he needs another good window right now to start with.
“The next few players Arsenal buy need to be experienced professionals in my opinion, ideally 28 or 29 years old. They need experience in the team. They have a lorryload of promising youngsters but they froze when it came to the crunch. They've got to get some experience in the team.
“Gabriel Jesus would be a good fit. He's only 25 but he ticks the boxes because he scores goals, Arteta knows him, and he has experience of winning trophies with Manchester City. It's alright having young players but the problem is one minute they are up high and the next minute they are down low.”
