Arsenal icon Martin Keown was seriously impressed by a player who’s been linked with a summer move to the club yesterday.
Mikel Arteta will surely now know his starting side for this monumental trip to Manchester City later today.
Perhaps Arteta’s biggest decisions are all born out of injury doubts, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes fighting to be fit.
Fans will hope that at least two of those three can make the game, with perhaps Martinelli seeming the biggest concern given his foot issue has already seen him miss a few games.
Of course, there shouldn’t be any doubt over who starts up front for Arsenal, even if Gabriel Jesus is now fit and ready.
Kai Havertz has been incredibly good in a false nine of late, and it would be a shock if he didn’t line up in that same position against City today.
All that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Arsenal still recruited a new striker in the coming summer, with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres often linked.
And when speaking on the BBC’s Match of the Day yesterday, it was Arsenal-linked Toney who really caught Keown’s eye.
Martin Keown thought Arsenal target Ivan Toney proved he’s an elite striker yesterday
Keown watched Toney cause Manchester United so many issues in yesterday’s 1-1 draw, a game Brentford definitely deserved to win.
And the pundit was extremely complimentary of the £60m-striker who continues to be linked with an Arsenal move.
Keown explained: “Goodness me, it would have been tough [playing against Toney today], let me tell you, he’s gone to another level today.
“When you see his performance, it would have been a travesty if they didn’t get something out of this game, but Ivan Toney is the player to go to.
“He creates so much for his team, he’s just a willing runner with the ball, this one here – it’s just a lovely weighted pass.
“It’s all there, everything is in the locker, pace, power and intelligence.”
Keown then commented on Toney’s role in Brentford’s equaliser: “Look how he plucks this out of the sky, wonderful touch and awareness, transfers it from one foot to the other and lays it to [Kristoffer] Ajer on the edge of the box.
“This is all in a tight space, this is a top level striker right now and that [goal] was no more than they deserved.”
Is Ivan Toney still the right striker for Arsenal?
Despite Keown’s praise for Toney yesterday, it almost feels as if Arsenal’s interest in the striker has cooled since his return to playing.
There have been some questions raised about the England striker’s behaviour within Arsenal circles, however that certainly hasn’t stopped Declan Rice praising the striker.
In a perfect world Osimhen would be the striker that Arteta brings to the Emirates this summer, but otherwise Toney could be the best alternative.
Gyokeres isn’t the right profile, even if he is scoring so freely for Sporting CP.
Arsenal need a player who can dominate the box, a skillset they don’t have at the club right now.
And perhaps signing Toney really wouldn’t be the worst idea after all.
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