Arsenal, Premier League

Merson: Wenger Must Be Sacked If Gunners Don’t Win Title

arsene-wenger2Former Arsenal players are just hammering Arsene Wenger and Arsenal after Sunday’s poor effort against Manchester United.

First Arsenal legend Thierry Henry questioned the Gunners title credentials and now former Arsenal star Paul Merson says that Arsene Wenger should be sacked if the Gunners lose out on the Premier League title to Leicester or Tottenham.

After the defeat at Old Trafford Wenger’s team remain five points behind top spot Foxes with 11 games to go and Merson, who played 423 times for the Gunners, believes it’s now or never for the Frenchman.

“If Man City don’t win the league and Tottenham or Leicester do then Arsene Wenger has to go,” he told Sky Sports .

“If you’re sitting there telling those fans – loyal Arsenal fans – that they don’t need any new players at the start of the season and then you don’t win the league in front of Leicester or Tottenham then I don’t see how you can justify it.

“If Man City win the league he can turn around and say ‘they’ve got all the money in the world and can go and buy whoever they want, so would whoever I bought have made much difference?’

“But if Leicester or Tottenham win the league after he said they didn’t need any players then I don’t see how he can keep his job.”

Merson played 30 times under Wenger in his first season as Arsenal boss, scoring seven times before being sold to Middlesbrough for £4.5m in the summer of 1997 – despite being offered a new contract.

And the Sky Sports pundit was frustrated by his former side’s performance at Old Trafford in what was a season defining match.

He added: “They went out on Sunday with an attitude of ‘it’s only Man United and they’ve got loads of injuries and kids playing, so we’ll breeze through this game’.

“It just frustrates me and it absolutely does my head in.

“People point to the players, but the manager has to get the players up for these games. Man United might be fifth and not having a good season, but it’s still Man United in front of 75,000 people.”

Do you agree with Merson? Should Wenger be sacked if Arsenal don’t win the title?