Arsenal have made a stellar start to the 2023/24 campaign, although Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar will be wishing time away to get to the January transfer window.
The Gunners sit just one point from the summit after 12 games played in the Premier League, however, injury has plagued the squad in the early moments of the campaign to resurface the issues relating to depth that cancelled the north Londoner’s plans of winning the league last term.
With key members of the XI absent, the upcoming January transfer window could shed some light on where Arsenal see their need for recruitment being, with the midfield said to be one of the primary areas to be assessed at the start of 2024.
Aside from the midfield, a recurring theme of the Gunners’ shortcomings in the side is the lack of potency in leading the line, with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus the only two recognisable centre-forwards in the first team.
The January window could come at a perfect time for Arteta to strengthen his options going forward, with a few names already linked with a move to the Emirates.
Arsenal's January transfer targets
According to Football Transfers, Juventus talisman Dusan Vlahovic is the manager’s ‘preferred’ number nine target, with the 23-year-old renowned for his impact in the final third in Italy.
The report touches upon Arsenal’s past interest in the Serbian, who was linked with the Premier League outfit prior to his move to Juve in January 2022.
With a market value of €80m (£70m), the Serie A dynamo could be an expensive forward to acquire, particularly following his dip in form since his move to Turin, in which he has only netted 21 league goals for the Bianconeri in almost two years.
Closer to home, a more trusted figure could be an option for the Gunners to select to lead their line in the future, with links to Brentford’s Ivan Toney resurfacing.
After speaking highly of the north London club during the Diary of a CEO podcast, the Englishman has emerged as a potential talent for Arteta to eye, with several news outlets reporting Arsenal’s apparent interest.
A report from journalist John Cross, via The Mirror, back in September claimed that both Arsenal and Chelsea are eyeing the 27-year-old’s services in January, when his ban from football for betting infringements will expire.
Adding to the initial report, The Mirror relayed earlier this month that the Bees were to slap a £100m price tag on their star man to ward off interest from Arteta and Edu, however, things could take another twist.
This week, 90min reported that Toney is ‘demanding’ a release clause in his current contract that could allow interested parties to swipe him from Brentford’s grasp if the agreed fee is met.
The report also mentioned that both Arsenal and Chelsea have ‘held talks’ with the striker’s representatives, making his movements in the future an interesting narrative to follow.
Ivan Toney’s career in numbers
Once lauded as “remarkable” by manager Thomas Frank, it’s no surprise that Brentford want to keep hold of their forward, who has contributed heavily to the west London club since his arrival in 2020.
From League Two, to League One, to the Championship, to the Premier League, Toney has passed the tests of the top-four tiers of English football, scoring 165 career goals while representing a handful of clubs.
Appearances
Goals
Assists
53
11
5
165
65
21
45
31
10
68
32
9
Often, players are unable to replicate their form shown in the leagues below the top-flight, however, the Northampton-born star defies such woes having emerged as one of the most deadly forwards in the Premier League since the Bees’ promotion.
In his debut season at Brentford, the forward fired his new club to the top-flight, contributing to 41 goals in 45 appearances, scoring 31 and assisting ten to introduce himself to west London in stylish fashion.
Across his two campaigns in the Premier League at the Gtech Community Stadium, Toney has netted 32 goals, claiming 12 in his first term and 20 last season, ending the 2022/23 calendar as the league’s third-highest scorer behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
With pace, power, strong finishing ability and most importantly, a proven spark in the top flight, the £100m price tag on the England international could prove to be priceless for Arsenal.
Why Ivan Toney would be a strong signing for Arsenal
It’s obvious that Toney would be a firm upgrade on the Gunners’ current strike options based on his scoring record alone, with his 32 Premier League goals in two seasons far beyond the capacity of Jesus and Nketiah.
The former Manchester City gem has netted 28 goals in his previous three full seasons in the league, while the 24-year-old is yet to hit 20 goals in his 101 appearances, reinforcing the added firepower that the Brentford man would provide.
Arsenal haven’t had an established striker since Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, who is the first Gunners centre-forward to hit over 20 league goals since Robin van Persie in 2011/12, with winger Alexis Sanchez the only other player to overcome the 20 goal hurdle, via Transfermarkt.
While the north Londoners were in transition with managers, players and outside of the top four during the Gabon international’s time at the Emirates, his goalscoring streak provided the squad with a reliable outlet to show for the creativity within the side.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Ivan Toney
22
20
124 min
148 min
1.1
1.3
23
16
23%
21%
In signing Toney, Arteta could replicate the clinical streak of the former Borussia Dortmund talisman to his current squad, who are already making waves in the Premier League without the assistance of a prolific number nine.
Aubameyang arrived when the squad was in re-build and scored goals, whereas the 27-year-old could arrive at a time where he would be the missing piece to the manager’s puzzle, in a move that could transform Arsenal’s hopes of re-establishing themselves within Europe's elite.
A hefty price tag and a club that aren’t willing to give up hopes of keeping hold of their forward easily are what stands in the way of the Gunners securing Toney’s signature, leaving the Gunners with a lot to consider when weighing up the strength of their pursuit for the Englishman.