Arsenal told they could’ve signed ‘fabulous’ striker for half price

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney over the past few months.

Although it sounds a little odd coming just after a 6-0 win, the Gunners‘ front line is not quite the finished product just yet.

Arsenal have a superb front line, but at the same time, an out-and-out centre-forward who can clinically dispatch goals wouldn’t go amiss.

And Toney would no doubt be just the man for the job. He’s gone from strength to strength in recent years and is now scoring goals like he’s never been away.

The reported Gunners target has missed eight months of action – from May 2023 to January 2024 – after breaking Football Association rules on betting.

Since returning to action, Toney has scored three goals in his last four Premier League outings, helping his side to two victories in that time.

In Brentford’s 2-0 win over Wolves last time out, Toney sealed the game with a superb cushioned ­finish from Vitaly Janelt’s cross on 77 minutes.

Arsenal target Ivan Toney ‘would have cost half’ last summer

BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks named Toney in his latest Premier League Team of the Week and also spoke about Arsenal’s interest in the striker.

“What a fabulous finish we saw from Toney,” Crooks wrote on BBC Sport. “The Brentford striker is back in action after his eight-month suspension and scoring goals like he’s never been away.

“When players have been out of action for as long as Toney was, you’re entitled to be a little rusty, especially in front of goal.

“However, Toney has been as sharp as a razor since his return to first-team duty and boy did the Bees need him.

“Brentford had lost seven out of eight league games before Saturday, but they played well against Wolves and deserved the 2-0 win.

“It would seem, with only one year left to run on Toney’s contract, Brentford will want to cash in.

“Arsenal should have snapped him up the moment he had been suspended and he would have cost half of what he would cost now.

“I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he ends up at Chelsea. They are desperately in need of a top striker.”

Arsenal likely would’ve still had to pay a lot for Ivan Toney last year

Although Crooks reckons Arsenal could’ve paid a lot less for Toney in the summer, transfer speculation from that time suggests that it may have not been the case.

Back in May, Thomas Frank publicly said he believed Toney was worth “£100million-plus”, and in August, The Times reported that his price tag stood at £80million.

Just last week, The Daily Star mentioned a figure of around £100million. So for the most part, Toney’s valuation has remained around the £80-100million mark over the past nine months or so.

Brentford seemed eager to keep hold of their asset during his suspension, and it looks like a move that has paid off, because his levels have not dropped despite so much time off.