Paul Merson explains why Arsenal need to sign Ivan Toney

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Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has shared his view on why the north London club need to sign Ivan Toney.

As reported by The Mirror, Arsenal are preparing to make a move for Ivan Toney. The striker is keen to make a move in the upcoming January transfer window, and Brentford have put a £60 million price tag on the 27-year-old.

Toney would certainly bring something new to Mikel Arteta’s squad. The once-capped England man is an excellent finisher, and his height and physicality would add a new dimension to the Gunners’ attack, yet Toney also has enough technical ability to effectively link up with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.

Paul Merson certainly thinks Toney would be a brilliant addition to the Arsenal squad. Writing in his Sky Sports column, he said, “only Ivan Toney is available for them in January – there aren’t many centre forwards around in the world. They’re a dying breed. Toney is a good player – he can hold the ball up, he’s good in the air. Arsenal might have to go for him. But there are not a million centre forwards around.”

Arsenal would need Ivan Toney to hit the ground running after ban

The main reason that Merson feels Arsenal need to bring in a player like Toney is that he lacks faith in Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus. He said, “I’ve always said it from day one – Eddie Nketiah is not going to win you the Premier League…I don’t even think Gabriel Jesus takes them to the next level.”

Toney could certainly be an excellent January signing. He managed twenty Premier League goals last season, a tally only bettered by Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. However, given that he is currently serving a ban for breaching betting rules and won’t have played all season by the time the January transfer window comes around, it remains to be seen if he’ll be fit to hit the ground running once he’s back.

If Arsenal were to snap up Toney in the winter window, Arteta would need him to be able to make a significant contribution in the second half of the campaign. If he is able to do that, then Toney has the capacity to fire Arsenal into genuine Premier League title contention.