Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has branded Paul Merson's comments claiming that Harry Redknapp is a better tactician than him as "a joke" and "a farce".

Merson, who spent 12 years at Arsenal but lasted less than a season after Wenger took charge of the club, made the comments on panel show A League of Their Own, claiming that the Gunners would win the league if Wenger had the same tactical nous as former Tottenham Hotspur boss Redknapp.

However, Wenger suggested that Merson is in no position to comment on the matter, having only had previous managerial experience during a short spell with Walsall more than a decade ago.

"These debates that I hear are a joke, a farce. People who have managed altogether zero games, they teach everybody how you should behave. It's a farce," he told reporters.

"If I really cared, do you think I would have survived for 18 years? I managed Paul Merson ... I tried. I'm not interested in him."

Arsenal currently sit fifth in the Premier League table ahead of Saturday's match at Watford.