'If he's available': TalkSPORT pundit tells Arteta to sign striker who mocked Arsenal seven months ago

By Shamanth Jayaram

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has urged Mikel Arteta to sign Brentford star Ivan Toney ahead of all the other strikers who have been linked with the club.

The Gunners will need at least one new number nine this summer, if not two. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are both set to walk away at the end of their contracts in July, which would leave Arsenal without a natural senior centre-forward.

The North Londoners have been linked with a whole host of top strikers over the last month. Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus is reportedly a priority target, while Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is also said to be someone Arteta and Edu are looking at.

Parlour, however, feels there will be a lot of competition to sign players like Jesus and Osimhan. That’s why he thinks Arsenal should make a move for Brentford’s Toney instead.

• Report: Arsenal join Newcastle in the race to sign £50m striker Ivan Toney

Ray Parlour: Arsenal should sign Ivan Toney

Toney has been brilliant for Brentford this season. It’s his first-ever campaign in the Premier League but has still managed to score 12 goals in the competition – more than any Arsenal player.

Parlour has urged Arteta and Edu to make a move for him at the end of the season.

He said on talkSPORT: “The strikers they’ll be looking at, they’ll also be looking at the other clubs interested in those strikers.

“You don’t want to be getting into bidding wars. How many clubs will be after Toney, if he’s available? That’s the sort of striker I would be trying to get at Arsenal.”

• ‘Ideal replacement’: BBC pundit says Arsenal should sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney to replace Lacazette

Toney mocked the Gunners seven months ago

Back in September, a month after Brentford beat Arsenal in the Premier League, Toney aimed a dig at the Gunners and even went on to claim that they will not win anything anytime soon.

He said on Baller Talk, as quoted by The Metro: “Arsenal fans are going to batter me for this, but you see Arsenal at the moment and they’re not the best. They weren’t as crazy as I thought (they would be).

“I just didn’t see them how they used to be. You used to look at Arsenal and think (they were) crazy and they were going to win this game, win this game. These days, I don’t see them winning anything any time soon.”

Football fans have an excellent memory, especially when it comes to stuff like these, which makes you wonder if Arsenal fans will accept a player who publicly claimed that the Gunners will win nothing.

Mikel Arteta has never been a big fan of things like this too, which could probably be why Arsenal will not even consider signing Toney this summer