Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes Arsene Wenger's transfer policy must be questioned.

Smith, who won two League titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup with Arsenal between 1987 and 1995, said Wenger's single-mindedness was in danger of undermining the club.

The 46-year-old told the Daily Telegraph: "Like all the great managers, Wenger is unbelievably stubborn. No matter what others say, he won't be swayed from his path.

"Yet we seem to have arrived at a point whereby the man in charge is deliberately ignoring the general consensus, whether or not it's right for the team.

"By that I mean refusing to buy a commanding centre half and a strong anchorman to break up the play. Those positions, after all, would seem to be crying out for new blood.

"Wenger, however, shows no signs of agreeing. It's as if the more times he's urged by outsiders to do one thing, the more determined he becomes to do the opposite."

Smith, a 6ft target man who scored 115 goals in 347 Arsenal appearances, also questioned the logic of signing "yet another diminutive playmaker" in the form of Russia striker Andrey Arshavin.

"Arshavin might well be a great success at Arsenal but you suspect the £14million could have been spent better elsewhere," said Smith.

"Where once he made a habit of recruiting strong, imposing athletes who could also play (Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Gilberto), Wenger now seems to prefer a much smaller type. This new version, granted, brims with technical finesse but, on the negative side, can't always cope with a physical Premier League."