"It will be a difficult deal" - Fabrizio Romano provides update on potential transfer of star man linked with a move to Arsenal

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has shed light on Arsenal's pursuit of Brentford striker Ivan Toney this January as the club continue their quest for offensive reinforcements.

The Gunners' current struggles to find the back of the net have been highlighted by the form of their two strikers: Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. The former Manchester City star has scored just three goals in 14 Premier League games this season. It doesn't look any better for Nketiah as well, who has scored just five goals in 18 Premier League games.

This has intensified speculation around potential targets that could improve the club's attacking capabilities, including Brentford's Ivan Toney. Fabrizio Romano, sharing insights with CaughtOffside, emphasized the issues surrounding any potential deal for Toney:

"Ivan Toney continues to make headlines, perhaps even more so now after Arsenal struggled to put away their chances in the defeat against West Ham. I can understand fans crying out for a new striker, but I’m afraid I don’t have much of an update for you just yet, guys."

"As I said before, Arsenal like Toney, but as I always mentioned, Brentford want a big amount of money or there’s no chance for him to move in January. So, it will be a difficult deal for Arsenal or any other club," Romano added.

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Arsenal's defensive woes highlighted by Alan Shearer

In the aftermath of Arsenal's recent Premier League defeat to West Ham United, Alan Shearer has pointed fingers at Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The match, ending in a 2-0 victory for West Ham, was marred by a contentious decision as VAR did not disallow Tomas Soucek's goal. This had come right after a suspected ball-out-of-play in the build-up.

Shearer, speaking on Amazon Prime, didn't mince words about The Gunners' defensive shortcomings. He specifically targeted Rice and Magalhaes for criticism, emphasizing their failure to effectively challenge Jarrod Bowen, who set up the goal.

"When they look at it, [Arsenal will] be really disappointed," Shearer said (via Daily Post). "Bowen is able to get in behind Rice and in front of Gabriel. He decided to mark the space instead of mark the man. There is plenty to get stuck into despite whether the ball went out or not. If you look at Rice, he doesn’t know where Bowen is."

"Gabriel does know where Bowen is, and he can mark him, he should mark him in reality. He goes to defend the space instead of the man. Bowen is the one who causes the damage and keeps the ball alive and Soucek sticks it away. From their point of view, it is really poor defending," he added.

Arsenal will hope to improve their defensive efforts, as the second half of the season enters into full swing.