Arsenal: 8 summer transfers to target from relegation candidates

8. Ivan Toney – Brentford

There is a large contingent of Arsenal fans who believe Ivan Toney is the answer to the striker dilemma at the club. He isn’t.

Coming up from the Championship last season where he recorded the most goals scored in a single campaign with 31 (until Mitrovic broke it this season), he followed up that up with four goal involvements in his opening six Premier League matches, which included a dominating performance over Arsenal on the opening day.

Much like Brentford since, Toney’s form has dipped.

In the last 14 matches the Bees have won only two games, plunging them into serious threat of an immediate return to the second tier despite their impressive early start. There is no denying that Toney improves his side tremendously, and him being absent with injury of late hasn’t helped, but as a solution to Arsenal’s situation he just does not have the requisite quality.

Dropping deep to facilitate play, demonstrating a neat amount of vision and weight of pass from between the lines, his excellent aerial ability is also something Arsenal could utilise. But is it enough?

There will be murmurs even if the Bees don’t go down – an increasingly unlikely outcome – but for the elite level striker Arsenal need, Toney just isn’t it.