Merson advises Arteta to sign £190m-rated attacking pair, with ‘unthinkable’ summer sale on

Paul Merson is backing Arsenal to win the Premier League title again next season but wants Mikel Arteta to sign two of the best attackers around in a £190m double deal to help them claim the Champions League, while also assessing whether one of the Gunners’ crown jewels could leave this summer.

The Gunners may have won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, with the achievement sparking joyous celebrations in the red corner of north London after three seasons of near misses under Mikel Arteta. While Arsenal were deserved champions, a great season could have been a truly outstanding one had they managed to defeat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, while another chance of silverware also passed them by after defeat in the Carabao Cup final.

All the same, Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are making plans to improve their squad this summer and further enhance their trophy prospects heading into next season and beyond.

One clear area for improvement is in attack, and the Gunners have a confirmed interest in a number of left-sided wingers, while Julian Alvarez is an ambitious target up front.

Rated in the €120m bracket, the Atletico Madrid striker looks destined to move this summer, though, per TEAMtalk sources, has made it clear to his suitors that he wants Barcelona first and foremost.

Despite that, Merson, sharing his thoughts on the Sports Agents podcast, reckons Arsenal should go out to sign both Alvarez and PSG’s Desire Doué in a £190m (€220m) double deal.

“What Arsenal have done is amazing, but they’ve got to go out now, for me, and buy that real, real… You know, I think Doué as well at PSG,” he says. “I would like a Doué and an Alvarez, and if they got them, then wow – I dread to think who’s going to stop Arsenal!”

Despite that, and to help fund their spree, Merson says some tough choices will have to be made and suspects one of the Gunners’ household names could be sacrificed…

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Discussing the future of captain Martin Odegaard, Merson added: “It’s madness for me to be saying this, but they probably will be thinking about that [selling Odegaard,].

“But for me, I still think there’ll be teams queuing round the block for him… When you play in the position that Odegaard plays in, you’re screaming out for pace up front. You have to have pace.”

Whatever happens on the transfer front, Merson is adamant that Arsenal’s title success is the start of good things to come and believes the north London side can start to enjoy a period of domination.

“I’d be shocked if Arsenal went away. I just think Arsenal are a proper solid, solid football team with solid seven, eight out of 10 players, week in, week out,” he says. “Across the board, sevens and eights.”

Nonetheless, Merson feels Arsenal are screaming out for more quality – with big improvements needed in attack.

“If they’d have held on, didn’t give away the penalty and won 1-0, we’d be sitting here now saying it’s a masterclass of all masterclasses,” Merson said of the UCL final.

“So, it’s a hard one for me,” he said, before adding: “They’re screaming out for a centre forward with pace. I think if they can get a centre forward with pace, who’s electric, then I think they’ll dominate, and I think they’ve got every chance of the Champions League next year.”

Despite Merson’s fears over Odegaard, we understand Arteta hopes to keep his captain and tie him down to a new long-term deal at Emirates Stadium, as sources explained the next steps in the Norwegian’s future back in March.

With regard to a wide forward, sources understand the Gunners have taken a strong shine to Premier League star, though a deal could cost as much as £100m, with his side adamant they don’t want to part ways with the outstanding young forward.

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