In a recent segment on The Overlap, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes backed Arsenal to move in for Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer. Scholes said,
“It’s hard to say they’ve not got enough because of the amount of goals they scored, and set pieces were a big advantage to them.
“I think signing a centre-forward would help, definitely. I think signing an out-and-out number nine who will guarantee you 25, 30 goals like Manchester City have, I’m pretty sure it’d help.
“It’s just whether those people are out there. Ivan Toney is probably the one who has been mentioned a lot. I think in Arsenal’s team he could score you 25 goals.”
Toney’s Recent Form In The Premier League
Toney had a decent campaign at the English club as he managed to put in a few eye-catching displays for them in the final third. The English forward scored four goals and grabbed a couple of assists in 17 matches for Brentford last season across all fronts.
The 28-year-old led the line well for the Bees and deserves some credit for averaging 3.0 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League. However, he has to find a way to improve his ball distribution after completing just 55.7% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Bring Toney On Board?
Toney is proficient at finding a yard of space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has proven himself to be a capable finisher in the final third when he is playing with confidence on the field.
The English forward can even create the odd chance for his teammates to score. He is also quite clever with his movements in and around the opponent’s penalty area but needs to work on improving his link-up play up top.
Toney would add more firepower to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta‘s attack. He is good enough to fight for a regular starting place at the Emirates Stadium in the upcoming campaign.
The English striker has got a lot of experience in the Premier League under his belt and won’t take much time to adjust to life at the North London club. Thus, Arteta would be wise to bring him on board this off-season.
