Paul Merson slams Stan Kroenke's Arsenal plan and urges him to sign Premier League duo

Paul Merson has launched a spectacular attack on Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke in the wake of reports claiming the American is set to spend money on refurbishing the Emirates Stadium

Paul Merson has launched a scathing attack on Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke – with the Gunners icon insisting that the club will never challenge for titles under the controversial American billionaire.

Merson's blast comes in the wake of reports revealing that Kroenke is set to spend money on refurbishing the Emirates Stadium over the summer.

But Merson believes that cash should be ploughed into Mikel Arteta's transfer budget, with the 53-year-old urging the club to try and sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Ward-Prowse.

The Gunners are desperate to finally bring in a top-class striker to boost their hopes of challenging for titles again in the summer.

And Merson has warned Kronke that he has his priorities all wrong – and that his intentions for the club pale in comparison to the time and investment he's put into the LA Rams, who won the Super Bowl last weekend.

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Merson wrote in his Daily Star column: "Arsenal will never be kings of England winning multiple titles again while Stan Kroenke is busy wasting money refurbishing the Emirates.

"I still think they're only one top class striker away from being contenders – but they'll never stick around at the top long while Kroenke has his eyes elsewhere.

"Go and sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Go and get James Ward-Prowse for the midfield. Don't spend it on the stadium. What a waste. Seriously.

"We've just seen what Kroenke's done with the LA Rams, building a team to win now – and winning the Super Bowl.

"Compare that to what he's doing at Arsenal. It just shows you what his intentions are for Arsenal – he doesn't have any!

"If he wanted to do something big at Arsenal he'd have done it already. Refurbishing the stadium? It's like having a nice house and doing it up so it doesn't lose it's value."

After hitting out at Kroenke's refurbishment plans, Merson doubled down on what Ward-Prowse and Calvert-Lewin could bring to the Gunners, who are on track to end their multi-year exile from the Champions League this term.

Arteta's side are right in the mix to finish in the top four - but Merson believes that Calvert-Lewin and Ward-Prowse could make them "contenders again".

He added: "Spend your money on players. Calvert-Lewin would make them contenders again. But if you really want to go for it, why stop there?

"They need a really good midfield player. Someone who can spray the ball around. They have all that talent on the wings and nobody switching it to them.

"Martin Odegaard plays one-twos. He's a tippy-tappy type. Nice and neat. He's not going to hit 40-yard diagonal balls. That's one thing they haven't got.

"They have a good XI. Good young talent improving every day. They just need a little bit more quality and they will be really competitive.

"But I don't think the people in charge understand how football works. I don't think they have ever been comfortable having to pay a big fee for a player."