"The mistake of the decade not to keep him" - Ex-Manchester United star claims Mikel Arteta made a transfer blunder at Arsenal

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has slammed Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta for letting go of Mika Biereth. He believes it was a crazy decision by the club as they are without a striker for the rest of the season.

Speaking to SpilXperten, Parker claimed that Biereth would have been the best option for the Gunners right now based on his performances for AS Monaco this season. He opined that the decision to sell the 22-year-old was the mistake of the decade.

"I think it was a crazy decision by Arsenal to sell Mika Biereth, and they got almost no money for him," Parker said. "Of course, we don't know how he would have developed if he had stayed instead of going to Sturm Graz, but based on how he is playing at Monaco right now, it seems like the mistake of the decade not to keep him."

"I've actually watched quite a few of Monaco's games, and I've also seen all his goals. He is a really good finisher, and that is exactly what Arsenal is lacking. Right now, they have a lot of injuries, but even with a fully fit squad, I believe Biereth would have been their best striker," he added.

Mika Biereth has scored 10 goals in seven Ligue 1 matches this season. Remarkably, he has scored three hat-tricks in his last five league games and has been in red-hot form.

Arsenal are playing with 'useless strikers', claims Paul Parker

Paul Parker went on to claim that Arsenal are without a proper striker for the rest of the season because of their mistakes in the transfer window. He believes that Mika Biereth made the right decision by leaving the club as he has got the spotlight he needed.

He told SpilXperten:

"They have a bunch of useless strikers, and now they've tried using Merino up front. That's a bit of an admission of failure if you ask me. I've actually known about Biereth for quite a while because he was talked about a lot when he played at Fulham. It's obvious that Biereth made the right decision because it has turned him into one of Europe's most dangerous strikers, but I also think he must have been frustrated that he never got his breakthrough at Arsenal."

The Gunners are reportedly looking to bring in Alexander Isak or Liam Delap in the summer to bolster their attack. Despite their recent woes, Arteta's men put seven past PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg on March 4.