Arsenal reportedly fear that Ivan Toney will not have an immediate impact if they pursue the Brentford striker in the January transfer window. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been linked with the addition of a new forward and Toney has been shortlisted.
The 27-year-old is serving a ban after being found guilty of 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting regulations. That suspension does not end until January 16, deep into the winter window.
Toney has not played a competitive game since May 6, despite appearing sporadically for Brentford’s B team. Eight months will have passed between his last outing, Brentford’s 1-0 defeat by Liverpool, and his next game.
According to the Independent, Arsenal are wary that Toney’s lack of serious action will naturally mean that he will not be able to reach his best form for a while. That could lead to Arteta targeting another forward in January, with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen admired at the Emirates Stadium.
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The report adds that a new centre-forward is one of four deals Arteta wishes to complete. The Spaniard is understood to be insistent that a quartet of transfers will give him his ‘ideal’ squad.
Among the positions targeted are two new full-backs. Defender Jurrien Timber was signed from Ajax in the summer transfer window but is likely to miss most of the campaign with a serious knee injury.
Arteta reportedly also wants another central midfielder and a new forward. Arsenal spent a combined £165m on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz in the summer but Arteta wants further depth in the centre of the pitch.
It is claimed that the club accept that not all four transfers can be completed in January. Arsenal will need to prioritise the positions as they will work on a limited budget caused by heavy spending over the last several windows.
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It remains to be seen if Arsenal will target Toney, or if their hesitancy over his lack of recent football will prevent them from offering a mega-money deal to Brentford. Toney remains a highly-sought player in English football having scored 21 goals for the Bees last season.
Arsenal will reportedly face competition from Chelsea for his signature. The Blues want to ease the burden on summer signing Nicolas Jackson, who is the club’s only recognised senior centre-forward. Jackson has scored only six Premier League goals this term, with three coming in the same game against Tottenham.
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