Merson: Club must support Mutu

Paul Merson said today that he hopes Adrian Mutu gets the help he needs from Chelsea after his failed drugs test.

The former Arsenal and England star admitted serious cocaine abuse in November 1994 as well as drink and gambling problems.

Merson, now 36 and manager of Walsall, said: "I never failed a drugs test. I owned up to my problem. For me it was a serious addiction and not something I did occasionally.

If Mutu is in the same boat he must be helped. Arsenal gave me their full support and that was one of the main reasons why I was able to get back into the game.

"If Chelsea cut Mutu adrift it will make the battle ahead a lot harder for him. He clearly doesn't see eye-to-eye with the manager at the moment but I really hope he gets the help he needs. When you're an addict the last thing you do is weigh up the risks and consequences. The man in the street will have little sympathy with Mutu. He'll be wondering how he can possibly be depressed with the kind of lifestyle he has.

"But as someone who has been through something similar I must admit to having some sympathy with him. I don't know the full extent of his drugs use but if he's genuinely addicted then I know from experience that he's suffering from an illness and needs help, not criticism."