Brentford striker Ivan Toney would ‘guarantee’ Arsenal the Premier League title with his former Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony arguing that Mikel Arteta should have signed him instead of Kai Havertz.
Another game, another anonymous performance from a man who’s near-£70 million price-tag is starting to look more expensive by the week.
If there is to be a sequel to 2020’s The Invisible Man, then Kai Havertz’s ineffective display during the 3-1 Carabao Cup exit at the hands of West Ham could double up as an audition for the titular role, many a pundit left wondering why Arsenal did not invest that eye-watering fee on a prolific number nine instead.
Darragh MacAnthony, who’s Peterborough United side sold Ivan Toney to Brentford after a prolific spell at London Road, believes that his former Posh frontman could be the difference between another near-miss and a first league title in 20 years for Arsenal.
Will Arsenal make January bid for Ivan Toney?
“Arsenal, instead of Havertz, should have bought him in August,” MacAnthony tells talkSPORT (3 November, 10am), insisting that Toney would still have represented excellent value despite missing the first few months of the new campaign due to an FA betting ban.
“Ivan Toney guarantees them the title. If Arsenal are top of the league in January, and they sign Ivan Toney, its guaranteed they win the title.
“Technically, he is unbelievable.”
Landing the England international in the winter, however, will be easier said than done. Sky Sports believe that Brentford will demand up to £100 million, though their stance may be weakened by the fact that Toney now has less than two years remaining on his contract.
Brentford reportedly want £100 million
“Will he go in January? i don’t know. Probably in the summer,” MacAnthony muses. “How much is he worth? I think the type of striker he is, anywhere from £70 to 85 million. He has got his best years ahead of him and he’s a game-changer.
“Brentford will probably try and sign a new contract with a release clause. Whether they sell now or in the summer, it won’t affect his value. Harry Kane is 30 and he went for 100 million (euros to Bayern Munich).
“Chelsea should have bought him in August, and they’d have had a readymade striker in January. They could have done it.”
Toney, once of Newcastle United, scored 20 Premier League goals for Brentford in 2022/23.
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