Arsene Wenger has blasted Paul Merson in response to his suggestion that Arsenal could win the Premier League title with Harry Redknapp at the helm.
Responding to Merson's jibe that he lacked Redknapp’s "tactical nous", Wenger said he simply did not care about his former midfielder's opinion.
At Thursday morning’s press conference, Wenger said: "These debates that I hear are a joke, 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."
When asked to comment on the 49-year-old TV pundit making a return to the game to play for Welsh four-tier team Caerau, Wenger quipped: "We speak about professional football here."
His frosty response comes as Merson took aim at the Frenchman by claiming if Wenger was as tactically equipped as former Tottenham boss Redknapp, then the Gunners would win the title.
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."
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But Merson, who only spent one season under Wenger, has been taking digs at his former boss since Arsenal threw away a three-goal lead against Anderlecht in November 2014.
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He even criticised the north London club by comparing them to a youth side, saying at the time: "Arsenal are like an Under-12 team. They go three, four or five up and they all bomb forward.
"I think they’re tactically clueless. How can you be 3-0 up and attacking?"
Wenger has won 22 honours during his managerial career, including titles in France and Japan, while Redknapp has won six.
The Gunners prepare for their clash against Watford on Saturday as the Premier League returns after an international break.
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