Arsenal have been linked with Ivan Toney despite financial fair play issues limiting their ability to spend in January, and many have questioned whether he is the right player to fix the attacking problems.
Arsenal have also been linked with a summer move for Victor Osimhen, and there is a strong case to be made that the Napoli star would be a better signing than the Brentford attacker, and the Nigerian would arrive as a genuine level-raising goalscorer.
Former Arsenal flop Mikael Silvestre has now given his verdict on Arsenal’s transfer targets, and he has told Mikel Arteta which striker he should target to add more attacking threat to his goal-shy side.
Mikael Silvestre claims Arsenal should sign Osimhen over Toney
Speaking to GGrecon.com, Silvestre claimed that Osimhen is a more complete forward than Toney, and would be a better signing overall.
“£100 million is extremely high,” he stated of Toney.
“I know goalscorers are very rare, but that’s too much money for Ivan. I don’t believe that price is a true reflection of his quality.
“Brentford clearly want to keep him and that’s why the price tag is so high, but if I was Arsenal, I wouldn’t even consider a move for that amount and I don’t believe they could even afford to pay that much for a player in the January window when you consider Financial Fair Play.
The former centre-back was then asked if Osimhen would be a better signing than Toney.
“Yes, I think he would be. In my eyes, Victor’s a more complete striker than Ivan Toney,” he replied.
“I believe his style would be better suited to Arsenal too. As soon as Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille, he needed six months to adapt and then after that he became a real threat and scored a lot of goals.
“He was key to Napoli winning the Serie A title last season and for the reasons I’ve provided, I would prefer Arsenal to sign Osimhen over Ivan Toney.”
Silvestre is correct about Osimhen and Toney
Osimhen would be the better signing when compared to Toney. He has experience at the top level, having carried Napoli to their first title in 30 years, and has also shone in the Champions League.
The 25-year-old is perhaps the best striker on the market this summer. He scored an astonishing 31 goals in 39 games last season, and is one of very few players who could transform Arsenal’s attack to compete with Manchester City and Erling Haaland.
Toney had a strong campaign last season, but six of his 20 Premier League goals came from the penalty spot. He is two years older than Osimhen, and has never been tested at a European or International level.
Toney would come with more risk, as it remains to be seen what kind of form he will be in once he returns from his ban, and Brentford are much further away from Arsenal in terms of style than Napoli, and it may be tough for him to adjust to a possession-dominant side.
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