Mikel Arteta isn’t short of centre-forwards with Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun at his disposal, but Jesus has struggled with injury, Nketiah doesn’t command a regular starting place and Balogun could be sold before the transfer window shuts.
As a result, Arsenal are on the hunt for another striker and Tom Roddy of The Times says they’re looking at Brentford’s Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old is coming off the back of scoring 20 goals in 33 Premier League games last season but is currently serving a ban since May for breaching FA betting regulations.
Tottenham are also reportedly interested in Toney after selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich. And while Brentford are requesting up to £80m for their most valuable asset, Spurs made £100m from Kane’s departure, so they can afford his 27-year-old replacement.
Toney’s suspension ends on January 16, 2024, so clubs can sign him in the winter transfer window if they don’t make a move in the coming days. Toney has ambition to represent England on a regular basis, so he’ll be open to playing for a bigger club like Arsenal or Tottenham.
Manchester United and Chelsea have also been recently linked with Toney, but it’s hard to see them signing another striker while having brought in Rasmus Højlund and Nicolas Jackson respectively. That being said, the 27-year-old would be a great addition to most Premier League outings.
Toney struggled for playing time at Newcastle United and was forced to leave for more opportunities. He joined Peterborough United in 2018 and went on to make 94 appearances in all competitions, scoring 49 goals with 15 assists. Toney would join Brentford in 2020 and has scored 68 goals with 21 assists from 124 games.
Only Erling Haaland (36) and Kane (30) scored more Premier League goals than the one-time England international last season, so Arsenal and Tottenham would be signing one of the country’s most prolific strikers if they made a move.
