In a recent report, The Daily Mirror mentioned that Arsenal are facing tough competition for Brentford forward Ivan Toney. It has been stated that the Gunners will have to rival Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the race to land the English striker this January.
Toney’s Impressive Form In Premier League Football Last Season
Toney enjoyed a decent campaign in the Premier League last season before his suspension through sports court – cross-competition which will keep him sidelined until January 17, 2024. The 27-year-old banged in 21 goals and picked up five assists in 35 matches for the Bees last season across all fronts.
The English centre-forward led the line well for Brentford and deserves credit for averaging 2.8 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2022-23 Premier League campaign. However, he lacked quality when distributing the ball in the opponent’s half after completing only 62% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
His current deal at the Gtech Community Stadium will expire in the summer of 2025. Thus, the Gunners would have to make a sizable offer if they want to recruit Toney next year.
Arsenal Are Facing Tough Competition For Toney: Is He Worth The Fight?
Toney excels at finding a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in on-target. He can be a decent finisher in front of the opposition goal and will create the odd chance for his teammates up top. Toney can use his strong 1.85m frame to hold possession up for his team.
The English talent can even make some driving runs with the ball when he is playing with confidence on the pitch. However, he needs to work on improving his link-up play on the attacking third of the pitch.
Toney is good enough to bring more goals to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta‘s attack. He would give the Gunners more options in the final third and help them challenge across all competitions in the coming years. He will definitely bring something different on the table compared to Gabriel Jesus.
At 27, Toney is about to enter his prime soon. Thus, he will be well worth the fight, so Arteta should focus on going all out to bring him to the Emirates Stadium when the transfer window reopens at the start of next year.
