Arsenal hero Paul Merson has urged his old side to make at least two signings during this month's January transfer window.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk and football.london reported last month that the north Londoners saw an offer in the region of £55 million rejected by the Ukrainian giants, with recent reports indicating that a second bid was also rebuffed.
Chelsea are also said to be keen to bring the 22-year-old to the Premier League and Merson has now urged his former club to move quickly for their targets this month.
READ MORE: Why Arsenal must beat Chelsea to Mykhaylo Mudryk transfer during January window
"I think Arsenal need two signings this January, they’ve got to go out and buy immediately," Merson told the Daily Star. "I watched them against Newcastle and they ran out of ideas.
"Don’t get me wrong, Newcastle defended really well and it was hard to break down but you’ve got to be able to change it up. There were no fresh legs."
Merson also spoke about the reticence ASrteta had about introducing Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira, who the Gunners signed for £34 million last summer, off the bench. He added: "They paid £34million for Fabio Vieira but still didn’t put him on.
"For me, that was the worrying thing. I wouldn’t just say they needed fresh legs, I’d say fresh brains as well.
"There was no guile or differentiation. Even if they just swapped the wingers over for 10 minutes, Mikel Arteta seemed to be so engrossed in the game on the touchline that it quickly passed Arsenal by.
"Arsenal need to set Shakhtar Donetsk a deadline with Mykhaylo Mudryk. They’ve offered £62m and it should now be 'take it or leave it' otherwise the January transfer window will soon be over."
Arsenal boss Arteta will be hoping that technical director Edu will be able to secure Mudryk's signature before the window slams shut in just over three weeks' time and the Spaniard will also be laser-focused on Monday night's FA Cup fixture against Oxford United before next weekend's highly-anticipated north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
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