Pundit Nedum Onuoha is backing Ivan Toney for a move to Arsenal rather than Chelsea if he leaves Brentford any time soon.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is back in action after his lengthy ban for gambling offences.
Toney made his big comeback against Nottingham Forest last month and made an immediate impact, scoring in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Toney also found the net in Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, showing his goalscoring abilities once again.
The 27-year-old will give Brentford a much-needed boost but questions surround his long-term after in West London.
Many still believe that Toney will leave the club in the summer and two clubs stand out as potential destinations…
Nedum Onuoha backs Ivan Toney for Arsenal
Arsenal and Chelsea are both in the market for strikers and may look for proven Premier League hitmen.
Toney has been linked with both clubs in recent times but it’s unlikely a deal will materialise before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
The fight for Toney is likely to start ahead of the summer and we have seen reports suggesting that the Brentford star actually prefers a move to Arsenal.
Much will depend on the price Brentford demand for their star striker but pundit Nedum Unuoha is backing a move to Arsenal.
The former Manchester City defender has told Sports Mole that Toney is a better fit for how Arsenal want to play, noting that Mikel Arteta is willing to play direct if they need to – and that can suit Toney.
Onuoha doesn’t love suggesting that move though as he still loves Gabriel Jesus, a striker he saw plenty of at City.
Onuoha would even take Jesus over Toney, believing that people can be a little hard on the Brazilian in terms of his goalscoring record.
If it came down to Arsenal v Chelsea though, Onuoha thinks the Emirates Stadium is the move for Toney, believing his energy can fit Arteta’s approach.
“Thinking about how these teams play now, and they are very different, they both need a goalscorer… it’s a shame to say this because I like [Gabriel] Jesus, but I think Arsenal,” said Onuoha. “With Chelsea, they can link the play really well and have a certain style of play, whereas with Arsenal, I think at times they’re happy to be a lot more direct when they need to be.”
“They want someone who’s energetic, who’s going to beat the press by playing it long to them. Arsenal are good tactically, so I think Toney, but then again, I’m still having Jesus. I’m not as hard on him as other people have been. At this point last season, they had around 50 points and looked like they were going to win a league title. It wasn’t too bad then and I don’t think it’s too bad now,” he added.
Arsenal would have to splash huge money to sign Toney and they must figure out whether to splash the cash on Toney as an improvement on Jesus, who scored in Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
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