Mikel Arteta appears to rule Arsenal out of £80m striker chase to leave Tottenham battling Chelsea for 160-goal star
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
The chances of Arsenal signing Ivan Toney in the January transfer window appear to be over with Mikel Arteta seemingly ruling the Gunners out the hunt in the wake of Brentford setting a huge fee on the striker’s head.
The Gunners on Sunday go head to head with title-holders Manchester City in an Emirates Stadium tussle that will leave the victors top of the pile heading into October’s international break. After challenging Pep Guardiola’s side so strongly last season, Arsenal have started the new season in terrific fashion and are unbeaten in the Premier League, with five wins and two draws, from their seven matches played so far.
However, they will need to inflict a second Premier League defeat of the season on City if they are to overhaul Tottenham to claim top spot.
With the Gunners looking for a morale-boosting win, off the field, plans are taking shape for the January transfer window, which is due to officially open for business in just 85 days.
To that end, Arsenal are being strongly linked with a move for England striker Toney, who has been cleared to leave Brentford when the January window opens for business.
By then, the 27-year-old striker will have just 17 months remaining on his deal with the Bees, and Thomas Frank’s side know the winter window will reprsesent their best chance to cash in.
As a result, interest in the player is not in short supply with all of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham strongly linked with his services.
However, with TEAMtalk’s transfer expert Dean Jones revealing Toney could cost as much as £80m, it seems the asking price may well have priced Arsenal out the race.
READ MORE: Huge Arsenal move for Ivan Toney under serious threat as Brentford set eye-watering price tag
Mikel Arteta distances Arsenal from Ivan Toney deal
With 32 Premier League goals in 66 games since Brentford’s elevation to the Premier League, it is easy to see why Toney is a man in demand. Strikers of his ilk appear to be at a premium in the modern game, with the game’s top stars often fetching fees of around the £100m mark.
To that end, Brentford are seekingly using Harry Kane’s recent £85m move to Bayern Munich as a gauge, moreso given he also left Tottenham with just a year left on his deal.
As a result, the Bees’ £80m demands for Toney perhaps don’t see so unreasonable.
However, after being questioned about Arsenal’s chances of getting a deal done, Arteta appears to have ruled Arsenal out the equation.
“We believe in the players that we have first of all,” Arteta said, in an apparent show of faith to both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
“Because we have the resources that we have secondly, and at the moment we feel we are covering that position.”
Chelsea and Tottenham to battle it out
With Toney currently serving an eight-month suspension for breaching the FA’s betting regulations, any side who signs the striker will be picking up one a little short of Premier League sharpness.
Nonetheless, with that ban due to be completed in January, Frank is already looking forward to welcoming the striker back after he stepped up his comeback with a goal in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
“It was so good (to see him back playing),” the Brentford boss said.
“I spoke with him just before he went on the pitch and said to him: ‘enjoy it’. (he said) ‘I will’ – and you could see he would really enjoy it, to just get out there and play football.
“It looked like he enjoyed it. He does what Ivan does – scored a goal. It was very good to see. He was happy after.”
However, it seems Arsenal are unlikely to be Toney’s next port of call if Arteta’s words ring true. Then Gunners spent in excess of £200m over the summer, signing the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
Their apparent withdrawal from the race, though, means it will potentially now come down to a straight fight between Chelsea and Tottenham for the 160-goal striker’s signature.
