Thomas Frank drops bombshell on Ivan Toney future amid Arsenal and Chelsea interest

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Brentford manager Thomas Frank has now provided an update on the future of Arsenal transfer target Ivan Toney.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

The Gunners are known to be on the lookout for a new striker. Along with Chelsea, they were credited with an interest in Toney this winter. However, no deal for the once-capped England man was forthcoming.

Since the closure of the January transfer window, Gabriel Jesus has been hampered by yet another fitness issue which saw him sit out the match against Liverpool. Whilst Kai Havertz, Eddie Nketiah, and Leandro Trossard are all options who can be called upon to lead the line for Arsenal in the Brazilian’s stead, there is a lack of reliable goalscorers in the Gunners’ squad. 

Despite this, it has now been revealed that Arsenal made no formal effort to sign Toney in January.

According to Thomas Frank, as quoted by Evening Standard journalist Simon Collings, Toney will “most likely be sold in the summer.” However, the Danish coach also admitted, “this winter, we actually had no bids for him, but it would surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs interested in him.”

Will Arsenal go in for Ivan Toney this summer?

There can be no denying Toney’s talent. He has proven his ability to be prolific at Premier League level and looks ready to take the next step in his career. He will also be eager to make up for lost time, having missed out on the majority of the current campaign by virtue of being banned for breaching betting rules. 

It will be fascinating to see if Arsenal make a concerted effort to secure his services this summer, or if they focus their resources on one of the many other strikers that they have been linked with. If Toney is the man they go for then he has the capacity to be a star for the north London club.

That being said, he won’t come to the Emirates Stadium cheaply. The Bees put a £100 million price tag on Toney in January, and it is hard to foresee a scenario in which they would significantly lower their asking price in the summer. Given that financial factor, there may well be better value options available on the market for Mikel Arteta to consider. 

In the meantime, though, the Gunners need to find a way to be successful in the second half of this season with the attacking options already available to them.