Arsenal title winner Alan Smith has warned against the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as new manager.

Writing in his column for the Evening Standard, Smith said: "Arsenal cannot lean on a solid rearguard, and that obvious lack of resilience and organisation makes the task so much harder for the new man.

"That's why I repeat my firm belief that the situation demands an innovative, inspirational coach, someone with the ability to quickly instil a decisive vision and culture on the training ground that transfers to match days in a positive way.

"For me, someone like Carlo ­Ancelotti would be the wrong choice.

"As successful as the Italian has been, he's more of an old-school manager who steadies the ship through clever man-management.

"Arsenal's predicament has moved beyond that. It requires a tough visionary who can grab hold of this squad and fashion a way of playing that, in the short term, will achieve better results by making the team harder to play against."

Instead, Smith believes his former club should look to appoint Manchester City assistant coach Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard among those thought to be under consideration.

He added, "I said it last week and I'll say it again. Mikel Arteta has what it takes.

"I just hope that the Arsenal board feel the same way."