January transfer window: Arsenal should have signed more players says Paul Merson

Arsenal legend Paul Merson believes that his former club should have been more active in the January transfer window. The Gunners signed midfielder Mohamed Elneny last month, but Merson suggested that they should also have looked to sign a defensive midfielder as well as a new striker.

Manager Arsene Wenger allowed Mathieu Debuchy to leave the club, with the Frenchman joining Bordeaux for the remainder of the season. In terms of how he would grade Arsenal's transfer activity, Merson told Sky Sports: "They get a C because they didn't do enough. Mohamed Elneny is nowhere near enough. They definitely needed a defensive midfield player, but also a forward. If Olivier Giroud gets injured then can Theo Walcott come in and score enough goals in the last 15 games?"

Merson has previously suggested that Watford striker Troy Deeney would have been an ideal signing for the club. "I can see the Troy Deeney one happening," Merson said before the window slammed shut. "I think he is a good footballer and works very hard for the team, so that does not shock me, that one. He is a decent player, has got a very good football brain, never moans and gets on with it. When you go and play for this Arsenal team, you need to have a good football brain, and when I watch him play, that is what he has. I think a lot of people would be sitting there thinking, 'Why him?' But I can see that."

Arsenal currently occupy third position in the Premier League, three points behind table-toppers Leicester City.