With Ivan Toney looking likely to stay at Brentford, who will Arsenal now turn to in January to solve their goalscoring woes?
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Arsenal have failed to score in three of their last six games in all competitions, scoring just four times in that stretch of four defeats in six. Gabriel Jesus has now gone down with an injury, while their top scorer in the Premier League this season is winger Bukayo Saka who has six.
The Gunners are still in the title race, just five points off leaders Liverpool, but they badly need a clinical finisher to arrive in January if they’re going to sustain this title push and make the most of all of the good work their midfield and wingers are doing.
What is next for Toney, Arsenal?
When it comes to Toney, he told our partners in the UK at Sky Sports News that “I’m sure when I’m back I will play a big part to get them [Brentford] out of the losing form they’ve been in” and shared his gratitude to everyone at Brentford for sticking by him adding “It’s kinda like I have a lot to repay.” So it seems like he’s planning to remain with the Bees and drag them away from relegation trouble when he is back in action on Jan. 20 following his eight-month ban for breaking betting rules.
All eyes are now on who Arsenal could sign instead of Toney. Can they sign anyone? Mikel Arteta didn’t seem too positive about that when asked following their 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup. “At the moment it doesn’t look realistic,” Arteta said.
But if Arsenal do have an opportunity to sign a striker in January, who should they go for? Here are a few options for this month, plus a look ahead to the summer.
Which striker can/should Arsenal sign in January?
Serhou Guirassy - Ripping it up in the Bundesliga at Stuttgart, he has a release clause of $19 million and has scored 17 goals in 14 Bundesliga games so far this season. The Guinea striker is similar to Toney and would be a good, relatively cheap, solution in January. Guirassy seems like the most likely January signing.
Joao Pedro - Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has already admitted they will find it tough to keep hold of the Brazilian striker. Pedro, 22, has been a revelation since joining from Watford and has scored 15 goals in 28 games in all competitions. He’s a rising star and exactly the type of player Arsenal will try and spend $65 million on before he becomes a $100 million player. Pedro would be a great fit in this high-pressing, fluid attacking unit.
Dominic Solanke - A more traditional No. 9, Solanke has been in fine form for Bournemouth and is a clinical finisher. He occupies space in the box and only Salah and Haaland have scored more Premier League goals than him this season. Solanke, 26, is finally fulfilling his potential and he’d be a different kind of option to what Arsenal already have. Bournemouth would demand a big transfer fee for Solanke who extended his contract this summer until 2027.
Dream signings in the summer
Victor Osimhen - Napoli are going to ask for big money for Osimhen but he’s had a down year so far and the Italian giants could cash in this summer before his stock falls further. Unlikely to happen in January but if Arsenal are patient, we all know what Osimhen is capable of and would be a perfect fit for their fluid attacking unit.
Victor Boniface - See above about his fellow Nigerian international. Boniface won’t be available in January as he leads Bayer Leverkusen’s charge for trophies but it will be intriguing to see how many big clubs go for him this summer. Bayer will demand a huge fee and Boniface, 23, is two years younger than Osimhen.
Ivan Toney - Okay, so it seems like Toney wants to stick around at Brentford until the end of the season and save them from potential relegation. That makes sense but it seems like this summer he’s very likely to move on. Will Arsenal make their move then? Brentford will still be asking for $120 million but Toney, 27, is proven in the top-flight and will surely deliver 15-20 goals per season at Arsenal. That is exactly what Arteta needs for Arsenal to take their final step towards glory.
