Arsenal will have to quickly turn their attention to transfer matters ahead of the summer window re-opening.
The Premier League title heartache will linger on for a few more weeks yet, especially given that it went to the final day.
But Arsenal pushed and pushed all they could. They just couldn’t do anything more to stop the sheer brilliance of Manchester City.
So, what next for Mikel Arteta and his players going forward? They need that extra few per cent, who is going to provide it for them?
Will someone from within Arsenal step up and take their game to levels never seen before? Beyond levels reached by the likes of Phil Foden?!
You can’t guarantee it, so that’s where Arsenal need to be clever in the summer transfer market.
However, Michael Owen was keen to mention that the London club simply can’t be ‘desperate’ and they mustn’t ‘waste their bullets’, as he told Premier League Productions (20/05/24 at 2:30 pm)
The topic of discussion was that ‘all-important’ striker that could take the Gunners to the title and help them win crucial games which they lost this season, like Aston Villa.
But Owen was keen to point out that, someone like Ivan Toney is available, but it doesn’t mean that they should go for him.
Sources have told HITC that the Brentford hitman, who returned from a betting ban in January, is available for transfer this summer.
The 28-year-old has long been talked about in Arsenal transfer rumours, but Owen isn’t too sure about that move as he also made an Erling Haaland comparison.
Ivan Toney at Arsenal
“The hard thing for Arsenal, at the moment, is not to be desperate for it,” said Owen. “It has to be the right person. You don’t want to be wasting £70, 80 or £100 million on something that isn’t quite there because of desperation. Haaland became available (for Manchester City) ‘right, we can’t afford to miss this’.
“Whereas, at the moment, can you get some of the players that would be good for Arsenal? Arguably. Then you look a rung lower where you could get it. I would avoid that. They are doing fine as they are, I would avoid that, so it’s only if that real top one that’s going to make the big difference. Don’t be desperate. Bide your time. When you are ready to pounce, just don’t miss and go and get the best.
“Someone like Toney at Brentford, he is available. Do you get somebody like that when there are question marks? Is he going to be able to up his game? Has he got the class to come off and do all the things? You need the personality. All of those things. There will be players out there that are very good, that people will say ‘just go and get him, Mikel’. He might be the answer, don’t get me wrong. All I will be saying is that there will be players desperate to walk to Arsenal now and will become available. But I would bide my time and wait for the right person. If he’s not available now, but next year, then fine. But don’t waste your bullets.”
Ivan Toney’s season
The Euro 2024 hopeful, who was dubbed ‘ice-man’ by England teammate Jude Bellingham, missed half of the campaign through suspension, came back, scored a few goals and then began to struggle.
In the end, Toney only scored four goals from 17 Premier League matches and proceeded to go on a 12-game goal drought.
READ MORE: RODRI HITS OUT AT LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL AFTER MANCHESTER CITY WIN PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE
Not ideal heading into the European championships, which he is hoping to be a part of and it doesn’t exactly add any glow to his name when he is being discussed for a potential transfer.
In that sense, it probably hands interested parties an advantage because his transfer value might drop.
But just how certain are Arsenal that a player like Toney would take them to the title next season?!
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