‘Surprised me’… Sam Allardyce says he’s shocked by how small £60m Arsenal target actually is

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Ivan Toney continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal.

The £60m striker is said to be one of the Gunners’ top transfer targets right now, and he’s been spoken about as the solution to many of Arsenal’s problems.

Toney is seen as this old-fashioned number nine who can use his strength, aerial ability and finishing ability to lead a line expertly.

However, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Sam Allardyce says there’s something about Toney that has really shocked him.

Indeed, Allardyce says that he thought Toney was much taller than he actually is.

Allardyce shocked by Toney’s height

Allardyce spoke about the Arsenal target.

“Ivan Toney will take the best part of six, eight or 10 games to get up to speed. Match practice is everything, you can do as much training as you want but when it comes down to match practice. What surprised me the other day is my mate said he was 6 ft 4 or 6 ft 5 but according to the Premier League he’s no bigger than 6 ft 2,” Allardyce said.

Dominating

It is always strange when you note how small Toney actually is.

Allardyce says that he thought he was 6 ft 4 or taller, but when you look at the Premier League’s website, he’s listed as being 179cm, that’s only 5 ft 10.

Of course, Toney feels a lot taller on the pitch due to his strength, aerial ability and long limbs, but he’s actually not as tall as many would think.

Height isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to being a dominating striker, and Toney has proven that more than any other forward in recent times.

Toney can still bully any defender in the Premier League, even if he isn’t a huge physical presence in the way you may think he is.