Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has admitted that he 'feels sorry' for supporters and expects both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to depart at the end of the season.
The Gunners have endured a tumultuous week following a heavy 5-1 first-leg thrashing against Bayern Munich, which will almost certainly bring their Champions League campaign to a halt at the last-16 stage.
It will be the seventh time in a row that Arsenal have exited the competition at the first knockout-stage hurdle, while under-fire boss Arsene Wenger only has a couple of FA Cups to his name over the past decade in terms of silverware won.
Merson, who previously claimed that Arsenal are 'too soft', has now launched a fresh attack on the club's backers - and Stan Kroenke in particular - following another campaign of relative mediocrity.
"The fans should be demanding more from [Kroenke]. I feel sorry for them. They are getting conned by the club. It's milking the fans for profit. I don't know how they put up with it," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Star. "He needs to make a change. But he won't because Arsene Wenger makes him too much money every year. It's too easy for everyone. It's a shambles. Every year he gets them in the Champions League but they never, ever look like winning it.
"They play a few games, make some money, and then go out. What's the point? Arsenal blew their big chance to replace him properly. They could have tried for Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Jurgen Klopp. There were four managers out there who could have taken the club forward, and what did the owner do? He just sat there. Football is not just about making a tidy profit on transfers. I think he needs to show his face now and say it's not good enough.
"But he has not shown any ambition since he's been there. He's always bought players no one else wants, not household names. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are the only ones. Why haven't they bought a Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a Gonzalo Higuain or a Karim Benzema? They won't pay the money. Arsenal is run as a business first and a football club second. They just want to make a profit. But where's Calum Chambers now? Where's Rob Holding? It's not good enough.
"Sanchez is not staying. He wants to go and win stuff. He must be losing £80,000 a week by not signing. He's not staying. No chance. Who knows with Ozil? I can't see another big club paying the sort of money he wants for someone who doesn't show up half the time. Where are the winners at Arsenal? The leaders? It's too nice. How long's Theo Walcott been there, ten years? They haven't won a tap but he keeps on signing, because it's nice."
Merson spent 12 years in Arsenal's senior side after emerging through the youth ranks, making close to 350 appearances for the club.
Daniel Lewis
