A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Brentford boss Thomas Frank discusses the transfer situation involving Ivan Toney and Mikel Arteta lands a double injury boost.
Thomas Frank gives Arsenal a 1% chance at Ivan Toney’s transfer from Brentford
Frank is ‘99% sure’ that Toney will be with Brentford after the January transfer window, amid interest from Arsenal. The Bees boss is confident that the Gtech Community Stadium natives can retain the 27-year-old as he prepares to return from an eight-month ban on Wednesday.
Toney has not featured since last May after the FA slapped the striker with a long suspension from playing competitively. He has remained training with the west London club and may be in the mix for their next Premier League fixture at home to Nottingham Forest this Saturday.
Arsenal have kept close tabs on Toney throughout his suspension after Arteta marked him as the Gunners’ top striker transfer target for January, per the Mirror. Toney has also developed an interest in joining the Emirates Stadium outfit. But Brentford will demand, at least, £60m.
Arteta appreciates what Toney can offer Arsenal as an out-and-out centre-forward unlike his current options, Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. The one-cap England star also hit 20 goals in 33 Premier League games last season, to rank behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
But Frank has given Arsenal a 1% chance at securing Toney’s transfer from Brentford before the January window slams shut. So, Arteta may have to rely on Jesus – who has only scored three goals in 15 Premier League outings this term – and Nketiah – who has five in 19 so far.
“It’s been very clear that we, or at least I, don’t want to let him go and I want to keep him as long as possible,” Frank stated, via Sky Sports. “So, I only had that in mind and every single time that I spoke to him it was on focusing on getting him ready for Nottingham Forest.
“I think in football you never know. Football is so crazy – we’ve seen certain stories about that. But I’m 99% certain that Ivan’s staying here. Let’s take one transfer window at a time.”
Read more about what Frank has had to say about a transfer for Toney, here.
Jesus and Vieira return to Arsenal training following injury blows
Arteta welcomed Jesus and Fabio Vieira back into group training over Arsenal’s winter mini-training camp in Dubai. That is according to football.london, which notes that Jesus is likely to be available against Crystal Palace on Saturday after quickly shrugging off his knee injury.
It was the third time that Jesus had injured the same knee he originally hurt in Qatar during the World Cup in 2022. But he has escaped further surgery after undergoing an operation in December 2022 and August 2023. The forward also felt discomfort in the knee last summer.
Vieira, meanwhile, has not featured since November after suffering a groin injury in training at London Colney. He suffered the blow whilst serving a three-game Premier League ban for his red card against Burnley. So, Arteta is unlikely to rely heavily on Vieira against the Eagles.
Read more about Jesus and Vieira’s injury status at Arsenal, here.
Arsenal transfer target Joao Neves ‘surprised’ Roberto Martinez ‘a lot’
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has admitted that Arsenal transfer target Joao Neves ‘surprised’ him ‘a lot’ after his debut. The 19-year-old broke through for the Selecao back in October during a Euro 2024 qualifier. He has since reached three caps but is still yet to start.
Neves had already drawn interest from Premier League teams before Martinez rewarded his form at SL Benfica, too. The midfielder has offered one goal and two assists over 29 games in all competitions this season. He has also started 26 times as Benfica’s deep-lying anchor.
Reports by 90min last November noted that Arsenal scouted Neves as Benfica beat Sporting Lisbon. But Liverpool also sent talent spotters to the Liga Portugal derby to track an 18-year-old, who Manchester City and Manchester United are also long-term admirers of, in person.
This term is Neves’ first as a regular first-team starter after breaking through at the Estadio da Luz in 2022/23. He made his senior debut in December 2022 but remained a fringe talent up until the end of last term. Now, Neves is blowing Martinez away like no player has before.
Martinez told Canal 11: “Neves reached the national team at 19 and showed a personality and maturity that surprised me a lot. I’ve never seen a situation like Neves in my career. In two days, he gained the respect of the entire Portugal locker room.”
Read more about what Martinez has had to say about Arsenal target Neves, here.
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