Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has hit out at Arsenal for their lack of activity in the January transfer market.
Shearer said the Gunners have ‘hit the panic’ button by launching a late bid to sign striker Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.
Arsenal are keen to bring in a new forward before the January transfer window shuts.
Their initial bid for Watkins, understood to be £45 million, was rejected outright by Aston Villa earlier this week.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is keen to keep Watkins at Villa Park, especially now that Jhon Duran is set to leave Villa for Al Nassr.
Speaking about Arsenal’s interest in Watkins, Shearer told Betfair: “There’s no way Arsenal get Ollie Watkins now. I mean, they just couldn’t do it, even if they thought it was a good business deal. It was either going to be one or the other, and they chose to let Duran go.
“From an Arsenal point of view, it was pretty naughty the timing of it, on the afternoon of a Champions League game, when you consider they’ve had all month to put the bid in. They’ve known what they are missing for seven or eight months. It’s not as if they’ve just realised what they are missing.
“It doesn’t take an idiot to work out what they need, and now Arsenal have hit the panic button.”
He added: “I don’t know why it’s taken them so long to realise that they need a centre forward. So many people have talked about it for such a long time.
“Watkins is the sort of player that would make the difference for them. In him, you are getting someone who is ready-made, but Villa are not going to sell him.”
