Ivan Toney looks like a ready-made replacement for Alexandre Lacazette

Brentford striker Ivan Toney could be the man to revitalise the Arsenal frontline, with the Gunners showing an interest in the striker

By Adam Le Roux

It can be easy to forget after comfortable victories like the one against Newcastle on Monday night, but scoring goals has still been Arsenal Achilles’ heel throughout this season. 

A brace for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and another strike for Bukayo Saka sealed the deal against the Magpies, as the Gunners struck three times at the Emirates for just the second league game this season. 

With 23 goals plundered from their 19 Premier League matches in the current campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side currently have the lowest return from any side in the top half of the league, and need to turn that stat around quickly if they are to challenge for a European spot later in the year. 

That brace for Aubameyang puts him on five league goals for the season, while Alexandre Lacazette leads the way with seven domestic goals to his name, but for a team that wants to be competing at the top end of the table, that simply isn’t good enough. 

That cutting edge that has be one so synonymous with Arsenal’s attacking play has been missing for large chunks of the season, and with the January transfer window in full swing there is the chance to rectify some of the issues that have blighted the latter stages of 2020. 

But rather than looking at the Bundesliga or Serie A for talent, the answer could be right under Arteta’s nose, with one of the Championship’s leading marksmen looking like he could make the step up to the big leagues very soon. 

Toney is no phoney

Since making the step up from Peterborough United in League One in the summer, Ivan Toney has been one of the hottest strikers in the country, as he spearheads a lethal Brentford attacking unit with 16 goals to his name this season. 

The former Newcastle man has shown he can cut it with the best in the second tier, and looks set to be fast tracked for a move to a bigger club sometime in the future, with the Gunners reportedly sniffing around the Brentford Community Stadium. 

At 24, Toney has matured over the past few seasons to become a finisher of the highest calibre, as his range of goals for Thomas Frank’s side this campaign has proved. 

Whether he is lurking in the penalty area, or linking up play from deep, there are many strings to the forward’s bow, and after experiencing a taste of the high life at St James’ Park as a teenager, he is hungry to get back to the big time. 

And at Brentford you know he has been nurtured well, as he becomes the latest clinical striker to come off the conveyor belt in southwest London - following in the footsteps of Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins in producing the goods for the Bees. 

And in those two examples you can see just how easily players can make the step up from the higher reaches of the second tier to the Premier League, with Watkins in particular flourishing in his debut season in the top tier after making the move to Aston Villa in the summer. 

With the service that is provided down either flank by the Gunners, a player like Toney is bound to get on the scoresheet more often than not, and in terms of build up play he is improving all the time. 

Laca looking to leave?

With rumours of Alexandre Lacazette reportedly being lined up for a move away from the Emirates - as the Frenchman’s contract comes to an end in the summer of 2022 - a move for Toney would prove to be the perfect successor in the final third. 

The ex-Lyon man has been something of a mainstay in the Gunners’ frontline for each of the last three seasons since his move from Ligue 1 in 2017, but after being in an out of the team this term, you wouldn’t blame him for wanting to look elsewhere when the opportunity arises. 

And in Toney you would have a striker who could easily slot into the Arsenal frontline, with his versatility as a striker putting him head and shoulders a lot of other Football League strikers, and puts him on the radar of a lot of clubs in the transfer window. 

The only stumbling block for the Gunners - and probably a lot of other clubs at this moment in time - is that Brentford are no novices when it comes to selling talent further up the footballing pyramid. 

The Bees’ business model seems to be all about collecting the best talent from the lower leagues, as well as from across Europe, before polishing these diamonds until they become impossible to ignore. 

And if Watkins’ summer move to Villa Park is anything to go by, Toney won’t be the bargain buy that Football League strikers were of the past, with the former Exeter City man commanding a fee of £28m when he made the move in September. 

And compared to his predecessor, Toney’s numbers look to be just as impressive; with his goals contributing directly to 17 of his side’s points this season, which shows he can keep his cool even when the pressure is on. 

His vision, movement and finishing ability all look to be top-class, and he was unlucky not have had a goal to his name when the Bees faced Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final recently, with VAR intervening after the slenderest of offside calls. 

With Mesut Ozil’s departure from the club, as well as the clear out of a number of other faces throughout the month, there is definitely scope for a new arrival soon, especially with the uncertainty over Lacazette’s future. 

And although Arsenal aren’t a side known for breaking the bank for new signings, this guy definitely seems worth the punt - after all, the goals don’t move, and he knows exactly where they are.

Photo Credit: Getty Images