That may be a puzzling statement considering the Gunners scored five against Sheffield United nine days ago, but their strikers in particular haven’t offered enough this season.
Arsenal transfer news
Mikel Arteta and Edu spent big in the summer to address some key areas of the pitch. The mega £105m acquisition of Declan Rice stole the headlines, but in came Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and David Raya too.
Rice has been the standout since arriving, but Timber suffered a gut-wrenching ACL injury while Havertz has underwhelmed and Raya has been at the centre of an ongoing rivalry with Aaron Ramsdale.
Unless Arsenal fund some large sales in January, one of their targets - the subject of a £100m asking price - may be out of reach.
That’s the fee Brentford have attached to Ivan Toney, who the Gunners are believed to hold a vested interest in, as per ESPN.
Ivan-Toney-Brentford-Premier-League (2)
Toney hasn’t featured all season after being given a ban for betting misconduct throughout his career.
Arsenal’s current attacking options
Arteta has a wealth of options at his disposal in wide areas but as far as the striker position is concerned, it looks a little more threadbare.
Havertz and Leandro Trossard could operate in a false 9 role but beyond Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus, options are spares.
Jesus was electrifying against Sevilla in the Champions League two weeks ago, scoring a beautiful goal and assisting Gabriel Martinelli’s opener. It was the Brazilian at his mesmerising best but he fell foul to an injury and had to be substituted.It was yet another fitness worry for a player who hasn’t been able to keep himself off the treatment table since arriving in the English capital. Only last term he missed several months with a knee problem sustained at the World Cup in Qatar.
Such an eventuality has led to more game time for Nketiah, who has been below par to say the least.
There were flashes of excellence last term, with the number 14 notably scoring twice to save the day against Manchester United. There was even a hat-trick, his first at Premier League level, against Sheffield United a week ago.
However, his overall play and ability to score regular goals has to be questioned. Indeed, away from home, he has only found the net five times in 52 league outings. Chasing a title, that record simply isn’t good enough.
Ivan Toney’s goal tally throughout his career
With Jesus unable to stay fit and Nketiah lacking a golden touch in front of goal, a move for Toney certainly makes sense.
Swooping in January will be tough but come next summer there is a feeling that he’ll be leaving Brentford for one of the big boys.
ivan-toney-brentford
Toney’s rise to stardom has been quite the story. Sold by Newcastle for just £650k, he dominated the English Football League before proving himself in the top flight.
Now capped by England, the striker scored 49 goals in 94 outings for Peterborough before moving to Brentford. Before the Bees secured their place in the Premier League, he had netted 31 times in 45 stunning Championship outings.Ivan Toney's most similar players
#1 Joselu
Real Madrid
#2 Enes Unal
Getafe
#3 Olivier Giroud
Milan
#4 Michael Gregoritsch
Freiburg
#5 Valentin Castellanos
Lazio
List compiled by FBref.
Many a player has dominated the second tier but struggled up another level. There has been no such anguish for Toney who has found the net on 32 occasions in 66 games at the highest level. It’s a phenomenal tally and one that bodes well should Arsenal sign him.
The 27-year-old isn’t a one-trick pony, however. There is more to the forward’s game than scoring goals.
How Toney compares to Nketiah and Jesus
Indeed, his all-round play has been compared to none other than Harry Kane by the aforementioned Rice. Speaking of his England colleague, Arsenal’s record signing once stated: “He's kind of like Harry Kane in a way where he's not only an out-and-out striker, he's a playmaker as well - his left and right footed passing, the way he picks out his teammates is a special technique to have."
That is best illuminated by the stats with Toney ranking among the best 9% of forward players in the Premier League throughout 2022/23 for aerials won (3.32 per 90) and the top 18% for passes into the final third (1.65 per 90), as per FBref.
Nketiah, by comparison, sat inside the worst 87% for aerials won and the worst 67% for passes into the final third. Jesus, meanwhile, is certainly more impressive at the creative side, making 1.35 passes into the final third (best 23%) but is lacking again in the physical department, ranking in the best 33% of Premier League forwards for aerials won per 90.
Therefore, if Arsenal want a way not only to score more goals but find someone with a physical presence, looking towards Toney is a safe bet. It would also surely help them move aside Nketiah from consideration.
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