Arsenal cult hero Nigel Winterburn has urged his former club to bring in top players to convince Robin van Persie of their ambition.

Van Persie has declared that he will not sign a new contract and seems intent on securing a move away from the Emirates Stadium.

Winterburn told talkSPORT: "Arsenal have bought a couple of players and you can only hope they continue to strengthen throughout the summer.

"Somehow that might persuade Van Persie this is the right club and that they've started to move in a different direction from the past five or six years."

Winterburn made 440 appearances for Arsenal, spending 13 years at Highbury. He wants his former boss Arsene Wenger to be given the tools to mount a title challenge.

"Arsenal should not be a selling club. Forget about the board," he said.

"The most important thing is the manager and players and that the players go into each season believing they've got a chance of winning something."

Arsenal face a testing summer before starting the new campaign at home to Sunderland on August 18.