Arsene Wenger must quit Arsenal if Tottenham or Leicester win the title, says Paul Merson

Former Arsenal midfielder says failure can't be justified

Arsene Wenger (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsene Wenger must quit Arsenal this summer if Tottenham or Leicester lift the Premier League title, according to Paul Merson.

The former Arsenal midfielder, who played under Wenger during the 1996/97 season, says being tipped to the crown by either of those two teams - who at the start of the season were backed by few to be in serious contention - would be impossible for the French manager to justify.

"If Man[chester] City don't win the league and Tottenham or Leicester do then Arsene Wenger has to go," Merson told Sky Sports.

"If you're sitting there telling those fans – loyal Arsenal fans – that they don't need any new players at the start of the season and then you don't win the league in front of Leicester or Tottenham then I don't see how you can justify it.

"If Man City win the league he can turn around and say 'they've got all the money in the world and can go and buy whoever they want, so would whoever I bought have made much difference?'

"But if Leicester or Tottenham win the league after he said they didn't need any players then I don't see how he can keep his job."

Arsenal slipped off the pace over the weekend when Leicester and Spurs won their respective games but they lost 3-2 to Manchester United. They host Swansea on Wednesday night.