Arsenal legend Lauren says the club should sign Denis Suarez instead of Bayern Munich's James Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has recently been linked with the Gunners, Tottenham and Liverpool, as Bayern are expected not to take him on permanently upon the conclusion of his loan from Real Madrid.

But Lauren believes Suarez would represent a more valuable for the club.

"I'm not sure that Arsenal should be seriously considering James Rodriguez, even on loan," he told Bwin. "Rodriguez has got a lot of talent, but the warning signs are there that he hasn't been able to settle at either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. He comes with a massive wage bill so Arsenal would have to make sure he was fully on board with the philosophy of the club.

"Rodriguez has played in the big games for the big clubs so there's no doubting his talent. If Emery can get the best out of him then he could make a real impact on whether Arsenal qualify for next season's Champions League. It's a roll of the dice."

"Instead, Lauren believes they should go back to one of their earlier potential signings, urging them to snap up Denis Suarez as he continues to struggle for playing time in Spain.

"Suarez should be Arsenal's number one target this transfer window. He's an excellent player and he's having to fight with so many top players to get first-team football at Barcelona," Lauren added. "Arsenal should look to sign him above the likes of Rodriguez, no doubt about it."