How Arsenal can sign Ivan Toney in January

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 5 Oct 2021 15:45 CDT
• 8 min read

With three wins and a draw from their last four games, Arsenal seem to have overcome a tough start to the season and settled into a good run of form.

However, while Mikel Arteta may finally be breathing a sigh of relief, the Spanish manager will know that new reinforcements will be needed in January if the London club are to push on for a potential top four spot.

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Specifically, Arsenal desperately need new strikers. In their first seven league games, the club have only scored five goals as the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have managed just two goals between them so far.

One player that could quickly fix a number of the team’s problems is Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who has been heavily linked with a move to the club for the past six months.

So how much would Toney cost in January and how could Arsenal go about buying him?

How much will he cost?

Although Toney is enjoying an impressive jump in his reputation right now, it’s worth bearing in mind that he only joined Brentford less than 12 months ago for little more than £5 million.

However, Brentford have made a habit of getting top prices for their stars, having sold Said Benrahma and Neal Maupay to West Ham and Brighton respectively for £20m each and Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa for £30m.

Should Arsenal come in with a serious offer in January, they would likely be expected to pay something like that for Toney. So they should be prepared to pay between £20-30m.

How could Arsenal afford him?

Perhaps the most obvious route to funding a move for Toney would be to sell the players the striker would be replacing in Arteta’s squad.

That, naturally, means dumping Alexandre Lacazette, Folarin Balogun and possibly Reis Nelson too.

Due to his contract coming to an end at the end of the season, Lacazette would likely go for under £10m if the club could find a buyer in January, but both Balogu and Nelson are young, talented players that would likely find Premier League buyers if they were put up for sale.

Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?

With two goals and two assists in his first seven Premier League games, there's little doubt that Toney will enjoy playing in the top flight as much as he did the English Championship.

And when asked about the prospect of him moving to Arsenal, former England striker Darren Bent suggested it would be a great idea.

“Could they lure him away from Brentford? Well, of course. Yes (he would be a good fit for Arsenal). It’s early days," he told talkSPORT.

“But what he has shown so far at Brentford, he is the real deal, not in terms of his goal return, just the way he is bullying people and he never shys away a challenge.

“I think he is definitely destined for big things.”