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Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Premier League legend Alan Shearer has backed him to do well with the Gunners.
The Mirror has reported that the north London side are interested in signing the striker in the January transfer window. The 27-year-old forward is currently banned due to breaching the rules of betting and will only be available to play come January 2024.
Speaking about the possibility of Toney joining the north London club, Alan Shearer said (on the Rest Is Football podcast via HITC):
“My guess is that yes he is going to be up for sale and they are sowing the seeds now and feeling the waters, if you like, and seeing how it’s going. He would be a good player for a top club because he will always get goals and he will always be a threat.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has aided these rumors by saying that the Bees are open to selling the Englishman. News outlet Football Transfers have reported that Chelsea are also interested in signing Ivan Toney in January.
Why Ivan Toney can be a good signing for Arsenal
Arsenal currently have Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah as the two established first-team forwards at the club. They also signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea in the summer, who can be deployed as a false nine.
Jesus, for all his threat, however, is not a goal-scoring machine, having scored 13 goals in 39 games for Arsenal. His gameplay is best utilized when he plays as a false nine allowing the inverted wing forwards to come into the box and score goals.
As for Nketiah, the young Arsenal forward has great potential. However, he is yet to play a full season as a starting forward in the Premier League, thereby putting a few dampeners on his tenacity. The third option, Havertz, is yet to prove himself as a regular goal-scorer despite joining the league back in 2020.
Should the Gunners sign Toney, he can come in as an experienced PL forward, who is known for his goal-scoring prowess. Despite playing for a mid-table club in Brentford, Toney has netted 32 times in the Premier League, accounting for 28% of his team's goals. Only Harry Kane has a better percentage record (31%) amongst ever-present clubs in the Premier League format.
