Alisher Usmanov: Arsenal and Aresene Wenger need to learn from mistakes and rebuild squad
Arsenal's second largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov believes Arsene Wenger has failed to learn from his mistakes.
Russian billionaire Usmanov says the Frenchman needs to spend in order to allow the Gunners to challenge for the title once more.
Saturday's home loss to Manchester United leaves Arsenal 8th in the Premier League - their worse start for 32 years.
“He [Wenger] is one of the greatest coaches, not just of European, but of world football. But we have a Russian proverb which goes: “Even an old lady can have a roof falling on her," Usmanov told CNBC.
“Everybody makes mistakes. He can make mistakes and I know as you age it is more difficult, more challenging to accept one’s mistakes. Does [Wenger] have money or not? There is officially money in the club."
Usmanov also believes the club need 11 new players in order to rectify their current slide and get them back competing with the continent's elite..
“Arsenal is a dream that sometimes becomes a mirage and sometimes a pain as every dream. [The] potential of the team is there, but there is no critical evaluation of mistakes and they need to need to acknowledge them. Because no genius can retain the same level of genius if they do not acknowledge mistakes. It’s only when you admit your mistakes that you can get rid of them.
“My opinion - and I tell it openly - we need to strengthen every position to play on the level of such teams in [the] UK as Chelsea and Manchester City, in Europe like Real (Madrid), Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and other clubs.”