Morning all.
Ivan Toney. Tall, strong and scores goals. He’s used to English football, the Premier League and the weather. He is in my opinion, just what Arsenal lack up front. Transfer Market value him at around £30 million, half of what Juventus have reportedly just paid for number one Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic. Well, that’s what the back pages would have us believe about Vlahovic.
Toney has hit the headlines for his comments made about Brentford and has had to apologise. It’s a good time to try and get him I think.
Why faff around with overseas players, when there’s the kind of player we need on our doorstep, literally. Toney is 25, 26 in a couple of months and I think he’d make a difference in our chase for a top four place. 37 goals in 66 appearances for his current club isn’t bad but if you look at the chances Arsenal create, all we’re missing is a guy who can put the ball in the back of the net. I’m convinced Toney would do that.
Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and ESR will lay it on a plate for him I’m sure, Pepe too.
From the outside, Arsenal seem to be ready to hit the panic button in this transfer window but the reality is, the guys dealing with transfers might have a plan and are just waiting for other things to happen first. I don’t know and no one else does either, not unless they’re genuinely in the know. That doesn’t mean someone on Twitter, Instagram or a sports writer in The Mirror. They like to wind us up so when a deal doesn’t materialise, we can throw our toys out of the pram.
As said the other day, the way the deal with Calum Chambers was done means transfers can be kept quiet. Turn your back on NN for five minutes and the next thing is, Arsenal could announce a signing. Not every deal has to be as drawn out as the arrival of Andrey Arshavin was.
But he’s the kind of player(s) we need in my opinion. Not literally, but the impact he had after arriving. Many a time it was suggested here that without him, top four would have been unlikely that season. From January to May, he made the difference. I think that’s where we as a club are now. Two players might make a huge difference to where Arsenal finish in May. Not a hopeful, a youngster unless proved at PL level, but players who’ll hit the ground running and make a difference to the team. Not the bench, but the first team.
Two and a half days left Arsenal, two and a half days.
See you in the comments.
A good suggestion Rico, Ivan Toney at around thirty million would be a major saving on the £75 million buy out clause in the contract of Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak. Although no negotiations with the Real are necessary, as it’s a contract buy-out, the player needs convincing that Arsenal could be a good move for him as he has expressed a wish for Champions League football next season.
If he did move to Arsenal, qualification for the CL would be very much in his own hands, score enough goals and he could get his wish.
You’re probably right apart from £30m. Brentford would probably expect more like £40m or over for their main goalscorer and talisman. That’s if they’d even sell – which I don’t think they would unless crazy money.
Ivan Toney ?
A kind of Paul Mariner hail Mary. Arsenal were struggling but Mariner came and scored a goal every two matches (8 in 14) I think and we crept in to 6 th place . Next season he didn’t work out and was gone soon after.
Whereas Mariner was at the end of hiis career when he came , Toney has a few years left in him and if we get the burst we want and then he goes stale there is still a resale value probably to a lower league club.
In my opinion goalscorers are just that , you can’t make them . You can refine them but either they have it or they dont and they don’t have to come from the top of the tree either . Ian Wright and Jamie Vardy are perfect examples , lower and non league football but they knew where to put the ball and we could do with them now.
Is Toney the man ? who knows , but the way we are shedding players . We need something , so I would not be adverse.
Anon, I agree it’ll cost more Han £30m to get him but I was just comparing him to Vlahovic and what the suggested amount was.
He’s a bit of a bully today Cicero, we need someone like that in the box.
Another six years potentially at the top of his game. Totally agree re strikers, they either have it or they don’t. Ours don’t.
Is Ozark anything to do with Nanook of the North, do they all live in an igloo?
I’m all in with the Ivan Toney suggestion and nobody, no ITK, no Football.London bullshit, no Just Arsenal News wind-up crapola etc etc, has mentioned him, so who knows?
It would be typical Arsenal.
No Kev, it’s kind of like Breaking Bad but money laundering.
Rico.. I quite liked Darlene – a real fruit cake! Finally got her comeuppance though (now for Wendy!! 🙏). One positive about them being bumped off though is at least we won’t have to see them smooching; made me feel rather nauseous 🤣 Roll on part 2 – it’s sure to go out with a bang!
Toney is (or was) a good call.. however after his antics in Dubai would Mikel welcome him to the Emirates? Doubtful…
Exactly Kev, or something/someone similar.
We need a few more experienced players to help the younger ones who as Potter pointed, are struggling a bit after half a season. They’re good, very good but at the rate things are going, they’ll be burned out soon and start picking up injuries.
Why? That would be the worst signing since Sanogo or Chamakh. He is not the youngest anymore and has done absolutely nothing in his career except from scoring some goals in the Championship. He scored a goal every 315 minutes this season. How is that an improvement?
Ozark is quality Kev, worth a watch.
Some weird decisions by Arteta regarding the squad let’s hope some reinforcements come in before Monday. I really feel we are an injury away from making top four…
Sue, great character. I’d loved to deal with idiots the way she did. 😆 They make me feel a bit ill too.
Probably not re Toney, going by the way others have been dealt with, he could be another gonne4 before May. 😜
I wouldn’t go that far Ghost, those two were pretty dire.
I reckon we’re already there Lee with Tomi out for a few weeks? Partey and Xhaka miss one more too I think.
Couldn’t agree more, I hoped we’d sign him last summer. The work he gets through in midfield and defence, energy, power, he’d score hatfuls with us
He’d be on a plane to Marseille faster than we could say hair gel, Rico!
Reports saying Barca have an agreement in place for Auba to join for 6 months, but will only happen once Dembele leaves…
Haha Sue.
Well, if Auba goes, surely we’re signing a striker.
Swap Aubameyang for Dembele. Simples!
Good shout, but isn’t Dembele a bit of a problem player or have I dreamt that..
Ok Lee, is it on Netflix or Amazon, because I haven’t got either?
I’ve never even seen Breaking Bad. ☹️
Sue, are Barca gonna pick up all his salary?
I don’t know, Kev. Didn’t mention wages..
Netflix and I’ve not seen Breaking Bad either, Kev
Sue, Breaking Bad is a must if you like Ozark.
Kev, Barca paying all his wages is a condition of the agreement, as I understand it.
Dembele makes a game. The rest of the time is injured!
I just can’t help myself checking in with unpopular opinions, but I kind of feel that a Toney signing would embody Arsenal’s downfall.
Indeed he’ll cost half of Isak, but Ivan is 1’79 (according to WhoScored) while the Swede is 1’92 (as per TransferMarkt) and 3 years younger.
Toney scored 7 and assisted 3 in 2012 minutes, Isak scored 8 and assisted 2 in 1642 and provided further 2 assist in 324 more minutes for Sweden. And that’s kind of my point (as spoiled in the first sentence):
– back when Arsenal belonged to the very top of the world (Europe) we had the best players from the best national teams: French footballers with 100+ caps, the best of the Dutch team as well as England’s finest. Even the subs represented top players from Nigeria, Brazil, etc.
– a decade later we still had a squad where everybody had dozens of caps. Some of those guy were not undisputed starters for their countries, but we employed quality players from France, Germany, etc. Our English core were knocking on the national team, and some of the countries represented in our squad didn’t belong to the world’s elite, but we still had the best players from Togo, Belarus, Armenia, etc.
– nowadays we have fringe players for the Three Lions (Ramsdale, White and AMN have 8 caps combined), Lacazette is no longer in contention of the French team, Martinelli and Gabriell are not yet established players (I hope it is only a matter of time though), and even the undisputed players of their respective countries keep representing marginal football-nations like Gabon, Norway and Ghana.
I might be a snob (before Scott has to point this out himself), but signing a short striker, who turns 26 in March, has 1900 PL minutes with 6 goals under his belt with no international caps – and no real chance to have a call-up in the future – wouldn’t really make me proud. Probably not a Sanogo/Chamakh type of failure, but I see no improvement over Eddie, who is Arsenal DNA all over, scored 5 goals in 509 minutes this season and wouldn’t cost a penny. But I know that the last argument is not a pro-Nketiah reason, but the other way around, as the average fan is not happy unless some serious cash is splashed. (This is not aimed at you, Scott, but if the cap fits, be my guest to wear it.)
Trouble is Pbarany, Nketiah has missed a few sitters in the PL fixtures and more recently hasn’t looked like a player who wants to stay. He’s clearly not an up to Arteta’s standards, despite the rumour of him being offered a new contract.
I can see the pros and cons of someone like Toney but in all honesty, if we sign a striker who can get 15/18 goals in the last 17 games, I really don’t care what his name is or whether he costs £5.00 or £50m – I’m not a footballing snob. 😜
Same goes for a midfielder, imo it’s just about getting the right kind of player rather than his name or transfer fee.
There’s a rumour going round that Real Madrid want William Saliba…
Ah well Sue, I hope that Cicero is right, I guess with Barca taking Traore on loan that their plan is, due to their financial straights, loans now and probably complete in the summer.
Therefore it would seem advantageous to us if Aubameyang goes there and does well?
Yes Rico, that Saliba to Madrid rumour seems to be gaining traction, which would be a shame as he still owes me a fiver but if Arteta doesn’t see him in his plans then a good fee and maybe a profit would be an improvement on our sales record.
With the departure of Chambers and Mari there is room in the squad for Saliba. I haven’t seen him play but reports I’ve read lead me to believe he should have a future at Arsenal. Selling him to Real at this late stage of the transfer window will not help us to get any player in so the money will sit in the bank and earn Enos a little interest. Not good business at all.
Will Saliba want to come back to us
Morning all.
I think it’d be a shame if Saliba was sold before being given an opportunity at Arsenal but that’s football I guess. One manager likes what he sees, another doesn’t. Perhaps much depends on who is the Arsenal manager in the summer because a free fall after the break could change everything.
We as a club would be more wise to bring Saliba back imo, especially as we’re short at right back and White could push into central midfield, with Saliba at right back.
New post up now by the way.