Former Arsenal man Paul Merson believes Arsène Wenger should have made more of an effort to sign a new goalkeeper this summer.
The Gunners were linked with a new 'keeper throughout the transfer window, particularly Fulham's Mark Schwarzer and Man City's Shay Given.
Merson, who made 327 appearances for Arsenal, told SkySports that although Schwarzer was perhaps not the answer, he would have liked to have seen an improvement on current first choice 'keeper Almunia.
He believed Given to be the answer, saying: "I played with Mark Schwarzer and he's a good goalie, but I don't know if he's that much better than Manuel Almunia.
"He has played for Middlesbrough and Fulham, but playing for Arsenal is a different kettle of fish.
"For me, Arsenal should have broken the bank and got Shay Given because he would save you 10 points per season. I'm not sure of the other two would do that. If Arsenal signed Given, they would have had every chance of winning the league."
A deadline day move that DID happen saw former Gunners winger Alex Hleb make a surprise move from Barcelona to Birmingham City, and Merse believes the Belarussian would still be good enough for Arsenal's first team.
He said: "He was one of the best players at Arsenal in his last season there and at times he was a different class. He could still play for Arsenal and he'll be an absolutely brilliant buy for Birmingham.
"He's a proper footballer who can play on the wing, but he comes inside and he's so hard to pick up."
From arsenal-mania.com
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