According to Daily Mirror, Arsenal are ready to step up their interest in signing Chelsea target and Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January transfer window.
The London giants have had a good start to the Premier League season with 14 points from six matches, but much more is expected from them after a fantastic campaign last time around. Arsenal are already 4 points behind Manchester City for the top spot and it seems a new centre-forward could be signed this winter.
As per Daily Mirror, Arsenal are planning to step up their pursuit of Toney whose ban for breaching FA betting rules concludes on January 17. The striker was recently permitted to rejoin training at Brentford and he could be allowed to leave the club in January, provided their asking price of £60 million is met.
Top-class addition
Arsenal may have picked up 14 points from the first 6 games of the league season but they have not been convincing with their performances. The club have had nervy finishes and have not secured any resounding victories of note, barring their performance in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven.
Yesterday, the club drew 2-2 against rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. Spurs were by far the better side in the second half of the derby at the Emirates Stadium, but Arsenal could have easily put the game out of sight in the first half, had Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah converted their big chances.
Instead, Arsenal conceded an equaliser before the half-time interval. They took the lead via a penalty in the second half only to concede a minute later. This inconsistency won’t help them in the charge for the title. Bringing Toney in January would provide a huge lift for the club as he is a much better finisher.
The Englishman is more of a traditional striker compared to Jesus or Nketiah and likes to position himself in the box to capitalise on scoring opportunities. He managed to score on 21 occasions for Brentford last season before his ban and his statistics could be much better if he were to join a more high-profile club.
Arsenal seem to be interested in securing a January deal for the former Newcastle United man, but Chelsea could have a say in the transfer race. Nothing has gone right for the Gunners’ London rivals and they are currently 14th with 5 points and desperately need an elite striker to put an end to their scoring concerns.
