‘Arsenal paid £72m for Pepe, so spend £40m on Rodgers’ – Merson sees Leicester boss as the answer

Given that Arsenal were prepared to spend £72 million ($93m) on Nicolas Pepe, Paul Merson has suggested that the Gunners should be willing to pay £40m ($51m) to bring in Brendan Rodgers as their next boss.

A change in the dugout at Emirates Stadium is being mooted as Unai Emery struggles to convince a loyal fan base of his worth.

The Spaniard retains the full support of his board for now, but that stance could change if no improvement is made on the field over the coming weeks.

With speculation building as to who could step in if Emery is moved on, Merson has reiterated his calls for Leicester manager Rodgers to be targeted.

He has already called on the Gunners to “break the bank” in an effort to land the former Swansea, Liverpool and Celtic coach, given the fine job he has overseen at the King Power Stadium.

Merson also feels that Rodgers could be a shrewd appointment for Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham, with rumours still raging when it comes to the long-term future of Mauricio Pochettino in north London.

The former Gunners star told Sky Sports: “I think he's (Rodgers) one of the best in the business.

“If I was Arsenal, I would have been ringing Leicester up and saying, 'how much do you want?'.

“If you're going to pay £72 million for a winger (Pepe) that hasn't played in the Premier League and has played in the French league, I would pay £40m for him tomorrow morning.

“I would say Arsenal [would be a good fit for Rodgers]. Arsenal or Tottenham. I wouldn't get rid of Pochettino, don't get me wrong, I think he's different class. I think them two teams will be looking at him.

“For me, if you're going to bring Brendan Rodgers in and what he's done with the teams he has been at like Swansea, Celtic, Liverpool and now Leicester, you give him a six-year plan and let him do what he wants to do. He improves players.”

Arsenal need somebody to improve their fortunes, with just one win taken from their last seven games in all competitions to slip out of the Carabao Cup and eight points adrift of the Premier League’s top four.