Arsenal: Stan Collymore urges Arsene Wenger to be as ambitious as Manchester United

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore insists that Arsenal need more top class players if they want to challenge for the title next season. The Gunners have made three signings thus far in the transfer window but only Granit Xhaka is expected to feature regularly in the starting eleven.

However, Arsenal's spending has been dwarfed by the activity of their rivals, with Manchester United signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly while pursuing a record deal for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. Liverpool have also completed six signings thus far while Manchester City have also invested heavily in the market.

The Gunners need a striker and have been linked with a move for Gonzalo Higuain and Mauro Icardiin the window. Danny Welbeck's injury will keep him out for a major part of the campaign while Olivier Giroud is on an extended holiday after being involved in the Euros with France where the host nation qualified for the finals.

The north London club are also short at the back. Per Mertesacker is out of their US tour due to a knee injury along with Gabriel, who is out with tonsillitis. Calum Chambers and Holding are likely to marshal the backline, with Laurent Koscielny not in reckoning following his participation in the Euros. Collymore believes that the current bunch of players does not cut the quality required and they could have done with someone in the same ilk as Luis Suarez.

"I still don't feel Mesut Ozil , Alexis Sanchez or Granit Xhaka are of the highest level. They're very good ­players. Xhaka is the right type of signing, ­mobile and aggressive," Collymore told the Mirror.

"But his arrival didn't light up the eyes of Arsenal fans in the same way that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's did with Manchester United's , or Paul Pogba's will do, if his deal gets done. Wenger could have done it with Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan could be banging in goals for Arsenal now rather than Barcelona.

"Of course, Pogba isn't worth £100m ($132m), but the statement that signing would make to the world from United and Jose is, 'This is how serious we are'. Yet, Wenger and his Arsenal ¬paymasters don't seem to possess that ruthless streak. We know he has money to spend, but he is unwilling to take risks."