LAST summer Arsenal spent big on the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz – in the hope they would help them win the Premier League.However, at the halfway stage of the season, they have hit a trough in form, and the goals have dried up.
Ivan Toney is being heavily linked with a move to ArsenalCredit: Getty
Toney could enhance the way Mikel Arteta is trying to playCredit: Alamy
Toney scored 20 Premier League goals last season
The most obvious move in the January window would be to buy a top striker – and Brentford and England star Ivan Toney is the clear favourite.
The 27-year-old is currently serving an eight-month ban for betting on football matches, but the suspension expires in the middle of January.
The question for Arsenal fans is whether Toney would fit their current team and whether coach Mikel Arteta would have to change his tactical system to accommodate the English striker.
SunSport have detailed three main reasons why Toney would be a great signing for Arsenal this window.
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Aerial power
Toney has a reputation for being an aerially dominant forward despite the fact that he is only 6ft 1in.
He plays in a way that makes him appear bigger than he is due to his anticipation and sense of timing when challenging for aerial duels.
And his athleticism allows him to get great elevation when he leaps to challenge for the ball.
Toney’s dominance aerially and his ability to disrupt opposition defenders would add an extra level to the Arsenal attack.
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At the moment, Arsenal are struggling to break teams down as they have a very structured approach to how they attack.
Under Arteta’s coaching, Arsenal look to dominate and control matches but there is a sense that they are missing a second option and the ability to play in a more direct fashion to a striker.
Toney starts wide and times his movement inside to challenge for the ball, winning the aerial duel and nodding it into space for a team-mate
Having the option to play a more direct pass does not mean that Arsenal would have to resort to playing route one or long ball football.
Having the option of a more direct pass in moments of transition in particular can allow you to turn the opposition and to play quickly into dangerous areas.
A player like Toney would then be effective in terms of being able to receive the ball and bring others into play as they make forward runs to support the attack and get around the ball.
Toney’s ability in the air would also be a good addition for Arsenal with his threat in the penalty area.
He is the kind of striker who creates fear through his positioning, movement and anticipation in the opposition penalty area.
Toney draws defenders towards him, which in turn would create more time and space for Arsenal’s other attacking players.
Eddie Nketiah should be the favourite to win the ball but he loses the aerial duel and Fulham maintain pressure
While Gabriel Jesus is underrated in the air, this is still something that Arsenal are lacking in their attacking options.
Eddie Nketiah is more of a poacher and, while his movement is good and he can drag defenders out of position, he is not the type to receive the ball with his back to goal and bring others into play.
Toney would definitely add an extra dimension to the Arsenal attack.
Creativity
While Toney has a reputation for being physical and strong in the air, there is far more to his game than meets the eye.
This is why the interest from Arsenal in Toney’s signature actually makes a lot of sense.
Toney is a mobile striker who has a balanced profile.
He is comfortable playing with his back to goal and receiving the ball with defenders tight to him, or when looking to peel off to attack the channels and make runs behind the defensive line.
When he receives the ball in the opposition half he has the ability and quality to find passes that break the last line to play team-mates through on goal.
His partnership with Bryan Mbuemo is based on the way that the two of them link together in the final third.
Toney draws opposition players in before he turns and sees Mbeum as he plays the ball through the defensive line
The ability of Toney to receive the ball deep and bring others into play would work extremely well for Arsenal because of the way they attack in the final third.
This is especially true with the movement from the wide areas into the central spaces from the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
While Jesus has the capacity to drop into space and link play ahead of him, the same cannot be said of Nketiah.
With Jesus also capable of playing on the left of a striker, Toney would add to Arsenal’s attacking options.
Gabriel Jesus drops deep, gets on the turn and finds the through ball
The technical quality and ability of Toney to play effectively in these deeper areas would work well for Arsenal.
Presence in the opposition area
While Toney is capable of dropping off the front line to receive the ball in the opposition half of the pitch, he is equally adept at finding space and creating danger in the area.
Toney is not a striker who is overly quick or dynamic and he relies on his movement and timing in the area to create space.
Toney would enhance the way Arsenal play as there are times when Jesus drops out of the penalty area to link play.
Having a striker that can remain central and act as the focal point for the attack would bring an extra dimension to Arsenal.
How Arsenal’s two main strikers compare this season
Toney has the instinct to pull off the last defender at the back post and finish off the cross
While Jesus and Nketiah are competent forwards, when it comes to their movement in the area there is a case to be made that Toney’s all-round game and balanced profile makes him a stronger option to lead the line for Arsenal.
Arsenal attack from the right while Jesus is positioned in a deeper central area
Toney is the type of striker who can come in and enhance the best parts of the way that Arsenal attack.
It would be hugely beneficial for Arsenal to have an attacking player who can make the most of the crosses and passes that Saka delivers into the area.
Toney is a more reliable striker than Jesus or Nketiah, so it makes sense for Arsenal to recruit him.
Conclusion
While Arsenal’s interest in Toney adds up from a tactical perspective, the deal is not set to be easy for Arsenal to push through.
Toney will start to lose his value as his contract is up at the end of the 2024/25 season, but Brentford are not the kind of team to give up a key player on the cheap.
Read more on The Sun
It is likely Arsenal will have to pay a significant fee to the striker – but he could very well be worth it.
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