‘Have to change’: Sam Allardyce says Arsenal will have to change their tactics if they sign £70m man now

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for Ivan Toney in recent weeks.

The Gunners are said to be in the market for a new striker in January, and some journalists have even stated that they expect Toney to sign for the Gunners in the coming months.

This could be an excellent signing, however, according to Sam Allardyce, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, this could be a risky move.

Indeed, Allardyce reckons that Toney is a player that you have to play off of, claiming that if he signed for Arsenal, Tottenham or Chelsea, those teams would all have to change their styles of play to get the most out of the £70m man.

Arsenal need to change tactics for Toney

Allardyce shared his verdict on the £70m striker.

“You have to play off him, you have to change your style, you can’t go to Tottenham, Chelsea or Arsenal and play the way they play now, you won’t get in it,” Allardyce said.

Allardyce was then asked if Toney will leave in January.

“Only if they hit Brentford’s valuation. If they have a replacement or if they already have someone lined up. I don’t think they’d sell someone and have nobody lined up.”

Not worth it

Whether or not you think Allardyce is right about Toney is up for debate, but, if he is, Toney wouldn’t be worth signing.

Look, we like Toney as much as anyone else, but if you’re Arsenal, you can’t change your entire game to accommodate a striker who has only had two good seasons in the Premier League, and even then, a lot of his goals come from penalties.

Arsenal have a good thing going at the moment, and if they were to change their style of play, they could go backwards, even with a player like Toney up front.

Arsenal need to sign a striker who suits their current style, not a striker who will dictate their style.