Rio Ferdinand has now been having his say on a player that Mikel Arteta is keen to bring to Arsenal in the near future.
Despite a much needed win and scoreline against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Arsenal are still lacking a lethal goalscorer.
The 5-0 victory perfectly demonstrated the potential of Arteta’s side, a team who will source goals from multiple avenues.
However, it’s still pretty telling that a striker didn’t score in the win, even if Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah were both very effective in their minutes.
Arsenal have two forwards who are increasingly similar in style, and perhaps the club would be better served possessing a duo with opposing strengths.
And perhaps that’s what leads to the idea of signing Ivan Toney.
Arsenal have long been linked with the Brentford striker who looked excellent on his return against Nottingham Forest.
That being said, Rio Ferdinand has now been urging Mikel Arteta to bring Ivan Toney to Arsenal this month before it’s too late.
Rio Ferdinand thinks Ivan Toney would perfectly suit Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team
Speaking on ‘The Obi One’ podcast, Ferdinand compared Toney to Jesus stylistically and came to the conclusion that the Arteta should bring the forward to Arsenal.
However, Ferdinand did have some concerns over the finances attached to any deal.
Ferdinand said: “His goal record has been really good.
“At Arsenal they need someone who is going to be occupying centre-backs in the penalty area. Jesus, I think is a teammate’s dream.
“I think every player loves playing with Jesus because he offers himself so much to the team.
“He will help you out in a bad position, he will chase down opponents, he will keep possession of the ball and play people in.
“But you get your goals in the box. That’s where you are going to be judged. I think he has that Brazilian laid back, I want to enjoy my football vibe and I think Ivan Toney is more focused on being in the box.
“So he might suit Arsenal. But have Arsenal got £100 million? I don’t think Brentford sell for any price in this window.
“Summer might be too late. I would like to see Toney at a bigger club and see what he could do.”
The last piece of the puzzle
It’s interesting to see Ferdinand declare that the summer may be too late for Arteta to bring Toney to Arsenal.
It is felt that £100m Toney is much more likely to arrive at the Emirates in the following window, when the club will be in a better position financially.
And although Arsenal may have stiff competition at that point, they’ll probably be confident that they can achieve a deal
The summer’s capture of Declan Rice demonstrated the pull Arteta’s project does now have.
Of course, with Arsenal unlikely to be able to afford Toney this month, there are three excellent loan deals they could chase instead.
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