Carlo Ancelotti would be the wrong man to take charge of Arsenal , according to club legend Alan Smith.
The Gunners are still yet to appoint a permanent manager since parting company with Unai Emery last month, with Freddie Ljungberg currently acting as interim boss.
Ljungberg is believed to be among the contenders to be appointed on a full-time basis, while Ancelotti has been heavily linked with the position since he was sacked by Napoli on Tuesday.
However, despite winning three Champions Leagues and domestic titles in England, Italy, France and Germany, Smith does not believe that the Italian is the right man to end the North London club's current struggles.
Writing in his column for the Evening Standard , Smith said: "Arsenal cannot lean on a solid rearguard, and that obvious lack of resilience and organisation makes the task so much harder for the new man."
"That’s why I repeat my firm belief that the situation demands an innovative, inspirational coach, someone with the ability to quickly instil a decisive vision and culture on the training ground that transfers to match days in a positive way.
"For me, someone like Carlo Ancelotti would be the wrong choice.
"As successful as the Italian has been, he’s more of an old-school manager who steadies the ship through clever man-management.
"Arsenal’s predicament has moved beyond that. It requires a tough visionary who can grab hold of this squad and fashion a way of playing that, in the short term, will achieve better results by making the team harder to play against."
Instead, Smith believes his former club should look to appoint Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard among those thought to be under consideration.
The former Gunners' midfielder, 37, was also in contention for the top job at the Emirates Stadium in 2018 before missing out to Emery.
However, Smith hopes he is more successful this time around, adding: "I said it last week and I'll say it again. Mikel Arteta has what it takes.
"I just hope that the Arsenal board feel the same way."
Ljungberg has had a difficult start to life in the Arsenal hot-seat, drawing his first match against Norwich before a disappointing 2-1 loss to Brighton .
However, Monday's 3-1 victory at West Ham ended a nine-match run without a win before Thursday's draw with Standard Liege.
His side welcome Manchester City to the Emirates on Sunday with the Gunners currently ninth in the Premier League, seven points outside the top four.
