Arsenal are reportedly among a few top Premier League clubs interested in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
The Englishman, 27, has changed agents recently in order to earn a big move away from Brentford next year. The Bees are also willing to sell but will demand at least £60m for the striker, who has returned to training after serving half of his eight-month ban for breaching strict FA betting rules. He will be able to play again in January after serving the suspension—and the Gunners have stepped up their pursuit of the Bees striker.
According to the Daily Mirror, Arsenal are planning to test Brentford’s resolve with a January bid for Ivan Toney. They are long-term admirers of the England international and may have pushed to sign him in the summer had he not been banned.
The report adds Toney is not keen on signing a new deal at the Gtech Community Stadium and Brentford are aware that he is keen on moving to a bigger club. Chelsea and Tottenham are also monitoring his situation, while Manchester United were interested before they spent big on Rasmus Hojlund.
Ivan Toney to Arsenal—Can he take Mikel Arteta’s team to another level?
Arsenal are believed to be weighing up their attacking options despite having Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in their ranks. Nketiah has had a mixed start to the new season, scoring twice in six league games, while Jesus recently recovered from a knee injury.
In the injury absences of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, Mikel Arteta opted to start both Nketiah and Jesus together in the Arsenal attack against Tottenham. While they linked up well and created space for each other, neither of the two managed to find the back of the net with former player-turned-pundit Gary Neville claiming in his podcast that the Gunners are missing a forward who can anticipate where the ball is going to land in the box.
That is where Ivan Toney could come into the picture for Arsenal. He was Brentford’s top scorer last season, bagging 21 goals in 35 appearances, attracting admirers from the Arsenal hierarchy in that process. The England international is more than just a fox in the box though. Ivan Toney can hold the ball up, link play well and bring others into the game. He is fast, physical and athletic which makes him a real handful for any defence.
When it comes to aerial ability and physicality, the 27-year-old would be an instant upgrade on Nketiah. In addition, Toney is also an expert penalty taker and an asset to have in both boxes. The ex-Newcastle United man would give a different dimension to Arteta’s attack and make Arsenal a lot stronger.
All in all, if Arsenal are to take the next step and challenge Man City for the title, they must splash the cash and sign Ivan Toney from Brentford in January.
