A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Paul Merson tells Mikel Arteta to eye a £60m January transfer and Kieran Gibbs names two Gunners players the Spaniard can axe.
Paul Merson urges Arsenal to secure Ivan Toney’s transfer
Highbury hero Merson has urged Arsenal to seal a transfer for Brentford striker Ivan Toney in January. He believes the Gunners will not win the Premier League title this season without a new centre-forward as Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus will not offer the team enough goals.
Just Bukayo Saka (6) ranks ahead of Nketiah (5) for goals in the top-flight for Arteta so far this term. Jesus has only struck three and even left Merson scratching his head against West Ham United last week. The Arsenal legend is adamant the Brazilian should have done better.
Jesus has only scored two goals in his last 13 Premier League games and Nketiah only has a hat-trick against Sheffield United in his past 16. So, Merson believes Arsenal must advance Arteta’s interest in Toney, who the Mirror reports is the Spaniard’s top striker transfer target.
“If they had beaten West Ham or Fulham and Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah had got a goal, people might start thinking, ‘Do they need a centre-forward?’” Merson has told Sky Sports. “They need a centre-forward. There is no doubt about that in my opinion.
“Jesus had two chances [against] West Ham, they are gimmes really for someone like an Ivan Toney. For me, there is a long way to go. Arsenal are still in it. I still think they have got to get Ivan Toney. I don’t think they win the league if they don’t get a centre-forward.”
The Mirror also claims that Brentford will want £60m for Toney’s transfer amid interest from Arsenal in January. It also notes that Toney is keen to join the Gunners once the striker, who scored 20 goals in 33 matches last term, returns from an eight-month FA ban on January 17.
Read more about what Merson has had to say about Brentford’s Toney and Arsenal, here.
Jamie Carragher explains why Gabriel Martinelli is ‘struggling’
Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is ‘really struggling’ so far this season due to how Arteta is managing his midfield. That is the opinion of Liverpool hero Carragher, who believes the 22-year-old is yet to match his success from last term as he no longer has Granit Xhaka nearby.
Martinelli was Arsenal’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League last term with captain Martin Odegaard on 15 goals each. But the Brazilian has only hit home twice in 18 games so far this term. He also only scored against Manchester City when his effort deflected off Nathan Ake.
Xhaka started in 36 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games last term as their closest midfield option to Martinelli, who started in 34. But Arteta has started a clutch of players in that role this term such as Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard after selling Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen.
Carragher believes it is Arsenal’s rotational policy for their left-sided central midfield spot so far this term that is hindering Martinelli. As well as only scoring twice in 18 Premier League games to date, the Brazil forward has only laid on two assists after offering five last season.
The Liverpool hero suggested on Sky Sports during its ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast: “I keep mentioning Martinelli because of the front four. He is really struggling.
“They had Xhaka in that position last season, the fixed 8 on the left-hand side. Odegaard was to the right. This season, at times Trossard has played there, Declan Rice has played there [and] Havertz has played there. So, I don’t think that is helping Martinelli.”
Read more about what Carragher has had to say about Martinelli and Arsenal, here.
Kieran Gibbs suggests swapping Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah to sign Douglas Luiz
Kieran Gibbs has suggested that Arteta should consider offering his fellow Arsenal academy products Nketiah and/or Emile Smith Rowe to Aston Villa to land Douglas Luiz’s transfer this January. The ex-Gunners left-back believes Luiz is the ideal target to improve Arteta’s side.
Arsenal are interested in securing Luiz’s transfer but Aston Villa are demanding £110m for a mid-season move, per Football Transfers. So, Arteta has explored alternative targets such as Fulham anchor Joao Palhinha. The Cottagers star may be available for £50m over the winter.
Gibbs, though, feels Arsenal should go all-out for Luiz and offer Smith Rowe and/or Nketiah to Aston Villa to afford the transfer. The 25-year-old has the greater potential to ‘shore up’ the core of Arteta’s squad. He has offered the Villans six goals and three assists this season.
“It’s probably the best idea to go and get someone like Douglas Luiz,” Gibbs told ESPN. “You can swap players, there are deals to be done there for sure.
“There’s Emile Smith Rowe, there’s Eddie, there’s deals to be done there in this window. If I was to do anything, I’d probably shore up the midfield and hope that in the second half of the season [that] Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard come alive.”
Read more about what Gibbs has had to say about Aston Villa’s Luiz and Arsenal, here.
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