Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood has slammed Arsenal's summer transfer business after the club sanctioned the £25m departure of midfield ace Joe Willock.
The Gunners academy graduate has linked back up with Newcastle United after starring in a six-month loan spell at St. James Park last season.
Arsenal have splashed out around £130m this summer on new signings as Mikel Arteta looks to remould his squad.
Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale have all arrived at the Emirates, along with a permanent return for ex-loan star Martin Odegaard.
But former Tottenham star Sherwood insists that those signings haven't improved Arsenal.
Sherwood told Sky Sports: "No, I don’t think they really improve them. You can ask the Arsenal fans out there and I’m sure they’ll tell you the same.
"They’re the biggest spenders so far this summer in the Premier League. Are they optimistic about the future of the club this season? The answer is no.
"They make these signings and year after year who are their best signings? Smith Rowe, Saka and the academy boys who are coming through.
"You look at Joe Willock who they’ve sold to Newcastle, a goalscoring midfielder should be still at the football club."
Willock netted eight times in a fruitful temporary spell for the Magpies but was deemed surplus to requirements by Gunners boss Arteta.
Coincidentally, his tally of eight strikes was higher than any other Arsenal midfielder managed last year - and would have had him only behind strike trio Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.
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His departure is the latest transfer move the club have come in for criticism for.
Of the Gunners' new arrivals, only Odegaard and White are expected to be first team regulars this season.
Tavares, Lokonga and Ramsdale are all expected to be squad players who have the potential to star down the line.
The decision to fork out such sums for players who aren't first team ready has raised eyebrows.
Former Gunners star Paul Merson has also taken a swipe at Arteta's determination to resign Odegaard on a permanent basis.
Merson recently told the Daily Star : "Mikel Arteta is making a mistake signing Martin Odegaard – and his job could soon be on the line.
"What are they doing signing Odegaard? If Odegaard really wanted to be at Arsenal he would have signed at the end of his loan.
"But he didn’t want to join them. He wanted to go back to Real Madrid. In days gone by that would have been it. Arsenal would have said – sorry, you’ve had your chance. Next!
"He didn’t exactly pull up any trees on loan did he? He only scored two goals! I think it’s a mistake. I think it’s another lazy signing. No other Premier League team was going for him."
Merson has also spoken out on doubts surrounding Ramsdale after the Gunners sanctioned a £24m deal for the England stopper, who will be Bernd Leno's understudy.
"No-one else is trying to sign Aaron Ramsdale either – and he’s let in 125 goals in two seasons in the Premier League!
"I don’t know who’s picking these players. I wonder if it really is Arteta. But whoever it is, it will be Arteta paying the price if it all goes wrong."
