In a recent interview (via The Daily Mail), renowned pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has tipped Arsenal to recruit Brentford forward Ivan Toney. Carragher said,
“Yes, he (Toney) could [join Arsenal] and he is a different type of striker. Huge fan of his but making jump to a big club and can you not cope with the scrutiny, there’s not that expectation against Brentford. No doubt that the quality is there, but take Arsenal to title? Arsenal might need to take that chance if they don’t fix that position and the goalkeeper situation then it would be difficult to overhaul Man City.”
Toney’s Impressive Numbers In The Premier League
Toney had a terrific campaign at Brentford last season when he produced several productive displays as the focal point of their attack. The 27-year-old is currently suspended through sports court – cross-competition until January 17, 2024.
The English striker did well to score 21 goals and secure five assists in 35 matches for the Bees in the previous campaign across various competitions. Toney caught the eye at times in the opponent’s half and deserves credit for averaging 2.8 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he lacks accuracy when distributing the ball in the final third after completing 62% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Move In For Toney?
Toney excels at finding a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in on-target. He has got the vision to engineer a few promising chances for his teammates in the opposition half and can even make a few clever runs with the ball.
The English centre-forward has proven himself to be a capable finisher in the Premier League. Hence, he would be an excellent signing for the Gunners next year. We can expect him to bring a lot of firepower to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta‘s attack.
At 27, Toney is about to enter his prime soon which makes him a worthy target for the North London club to pursue in 2024. Furthermore, he has what it takes to help Arsenal compete across all fronts in the coming seasons. Therefore, Arteta should focus on moving in for him this January.
