Why a January move for Toney would boost Arsenal's title chances

 

The next couple of months could prove to be pivotal to this Premier League season’s title race. 

 

First, December brings seven rounds of fixtures with 21 points up for grabs. Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool face Arsenal in two standout matches taking place next month. 

 

Then comes January and the reopening of the transfer window. If things are still tight at the top - and there is no reason to think they will not be - we should expect a fair amount of activity in the mid-season market. 

 

Arsenal are among the clubs already being linked with a host of players. They did some smart work in last January’s window, adding experience and midfield control with Jorginho and beefing up their attacking options with the acquisition of Leandro Trossard. Mikel Arteta’s men ultimately fell short in a two-way title tussle, but the two new signings brought vital quality and depth. 

 

The Arsenal boss will hope to repeat the feat this time around. If the rumours are to be believed, a new centre-forward is at the top of his shopping list.  

 

Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have shared the position so far this season. The two strikers interpret the role in different ways. Jesus likes to drop deep, link the play and connect with his teammates. But he is not exactly prolific, as a return of 15 goals in 44 games for Arsenal illustrates. He has also struggled with injuries over the last 12 months or so.  

 

Nketiah has been more effective in front of goal, putting the ball in the back of the net five times in 12 Premier League matches this season. But he does not offer as much as Jesus in general play. Nketiah struck a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United when Arsenal dominated possession, but he was largely anonymous in a 1-0 defeat by Newcastle United the next weekend. 

 

No wonder, then, that Arsenal are reportedly looking to sign a striker who combines the best of both Jesus and Nketiah. That man could be Ivan Toney, who has been linked with a switch to Arsenal for several months now. Toney has, after all, scored 20 league goals since the start of last season, just one fewer than Jesus and Nketiah have managed combined. 

 

 

Brentford fans must have feared the worst when their talisman was hit with an eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations in May. But they have coped reasonably well without him so far. Ahead of Arsenal’s visit to the Gtech Community Stadium this weekend, Thomas Frank’s team sit 11th in the standings. Brentford have scored 19 goals - one more than they managed at this stage of last season.  

 

The Bees would be loath to lose Toney in the middle of the campaign, especially as they have not yet been able to use him in 2023/24. But Brentford are realistic. They understand their position in the food chain, as Frank himself intimidated in September. 

 

"I think every club in the world are a selling club except five or six clubs. We are a selling club, if the right price is there," he told Sky Sports. 

 

"For me [Toney] is one of the best strikers, as a striker No.9, I don’t see many out there who is better in the world than him. He scored 20 goals in the Premier League last year, in, of course, a very good Brentford side but of course we are not creating as many chances as the top six or seven teams. 

 

"So imagine him in a top team, he’d easily score 20, 25 goals, for me. I think he’s composed, he’s a good finisher, top mentality, so I understand why clubs are looking at him." 

 

It is not clear how much Brentford would demand for Toney, but Arsenal would have to be prepared to pay at least £60m for a 27-year-old England international with proven Premier League quality.

 

Manchester City and Liverpool have started the season well, but the January addition of Toney would make Arsenal an even stronger proposition in the title race.

Why a January move for Toney would boost Arsenal's title chances