Arsenal has been linked with many top strikers over the last few weeks, including Brentford ace Ivan Toney. Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, however, has said there is nothing concrete between the two parties, adding the Gunners’ chances of signing the attacker are rather slim.
Arsenal’s Need Of A Top Striker Once Again Exposed In FA Cup Defeat To Liverpool
Mikel Arteta’s side endured a demoralizing start to 2024, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup on January 7. The north London outfit had 18 shots, with only five of those landing on target. They also created four big chances only to miss them all. The defeat on Sunday night extended the Gunners’ winless run to four games and losing streak to three matches across competitions.
With Gabriel Jesus rested with a knee injury, Arteta deployed Havertz as the center-forward. He lost the most duels (12) over the course of the game and had only two efforts on target.
Arsenal Might Not Be Able To Sign A Top Striker In January, Says Romano
Pundits and journalists, including Romano, have backed the Premier League aspirants to sign an efficient goalscorer, but the operation might not be successful in the January transfer window. In his Daily Briefing column, the Italian journalist explained (via CaughtOffside):
“Arsenal’s bad luck continues, with the Gunners out of the FA Cup after losing 2-0 at home to Liverpool yesterday. I’ve spoken many times about how much I rate the Arsenal project, and the fine work done by Mikel Arteta and Edu to turn things around at the club, but of course, they’ll be disappointed at the moment to keep on dominating games without being able to take their chances.
“As a result, we’re continuing to see a lot of talk about Arsenal signing a striker, but, as Arteta mentioned after the Liverpool game, at the moment there’s nothing concrete – let’s see what happens in the next weeks. We will see what happens, but I think it’s looking very difficult to find a striker at the level Arsenal need in January.”
Romano concluded by adding:
“Of course, we know about the interest in Ivan Toney and he would be an excellent option, but the problem is he is very expensive as Brentford want crazy money or nothing. So, it’s a really complicated situation and for now, I have no concrete updates to speak of, let’s see if the situation can change in the next weeks.”
Toney, who scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season, could cost the Gunners well over $100 million. Considering the fact his contract does not run out until June 2025, Brentford can afford to be aggressive with their asking price this January.
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