According to Daily Star, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has earmarked Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke as an alternative if Brentford star Ivan Toney cannot be signed next month.
The Gunners climbed back to the top of the Premier League table yesterday after their victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Gabriel Jesus scored the opening goal in the 2-0 win, but there is still speculation that the Gunners are looking for a new centre-forward.
Toney has been linked for several months and Daily Star claim that the 27-year-old is the number one target for Arteta. However, the Arsenal head coach has Bournemouth’s Solanke as the back-up option if Brentford prise the club away from a deal for Toney.
The Cherries signed Solanke from Liverpool for £19 million and it is reported that he could be available for £50 million.
Surprise choice
Toney was fantastic for Brentford last season with 20 Premier League goals to his name. He was suspended in May due to breaching FA betting rules, but he will be available to play again from January 17 onwards.
The Englishman has been working hard behind the scenes on the training pitch, and he won’t be short of match fitness when he makes his comeback to first-team action in the middle of next month.
Whether that is with Brentford or another club is left to be seen. If the Bees are looking for £100 million as mentioned by Sky Sports, Arsenal are unlikely to be in the race as they have FFP concerns too.
This could turn their attention to alternatives. Solanke has been mentioned as a target amid his fine league form this season. He has scored 8 goals in 16 top-flight matches for the Cherries this season.
This is already 2 better than what he achieved over the whole of the previous campaign. Despite this, we are not fully convinced that Solanke would make Arsenal better in the final third of the pitch.
The 26-year-old has yet to register double figures in terms of goals in a single top-flight season, and would be a risky investment for the Gunners. Someone like Serhou Guirassy would be a better buy.
Guirassy has 18 goals from 15 games for Stuttgart this season and could be signed for a relatively low price in January due to the £15 million release clause attached to his contract at the German club.
