Wenger mocks Merson as feud between Arsenal boss and former player escalates

Arsene Wenger mocked Paul Merson in his press conference as the war of words between the Arsenal boss and his former player continued.

When asked to comment on the 49-year-old Sky Sports pundit making a return to the game to play for Welsh fourth-tier team Caerau, Wenger snapped: “We speak about professional football here.”

His response to the question comes as Merson made the unusual claim that if Wenger was a bit more like Harry Redknapp he would win the Premier League with Arsenal.

Speaking on Sky One’s A League of Their Own, Merson said: “People say he’s [Redknapp] a wheeler-dealer and it’s so disrespectful.

“Tactically, he’s one of the best I’ve worked with. If Arsene Wenger had Harry Redknapp’s tactical nous, Arsenal would win the league.”

But the pair have a history of disagreements, which stem from Merson aiming a dig at Wenger after Arsenal threw away a three goal lead against Anderlecht in November 2014.

“Arsenal are like an Under-12 team,” said Merson at the time. “They go three, four or five up and they all bomb forward.”

Wenger hit back with the response: “These debates that I hear are a joke, a farce.

“People who have managed altogether zero games, they teach everybody how you should behave. It’s a farce.

“If I really cared, do you think I would have survived for 18 years? I managed Paul Merson … I tried. I’m not interested in him.”