“I can play as a winger or second striker”: Gabriel Jesus admits he’s not worried about the rumours that Arsenal is closing on signing a £89 million-rated striker in January
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are in a big transfer window in January as they fight for the Premier League title.
One of the names that keeps popping up is suspended Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
The 27-year-old is suspended until January 16 and there is talk that Arsenal could secure his transfer, with Andy Townsend describing him as a “talented player” in an interview with talkSPORT Breakfast (20.12.23, 8.35am).
But the former Aston Villa captain believes that if Ivan Toney joins, the club’s current number nine Gabriel Jesus will “not be happy” with the Englishman’s arrival.
Arsenal’s top three are Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. When healthy, this trio starts every game.
So if you bring in Ivan Toney, and preferably for a large sum of money, he will not join to sit on the bench but to take a regular place.
And since it’s likely to be Gabriel Jesus, that probably wouldn’t suit him, according to Andy Townsend.
Ivan Toney instead of Gabriel Jesus?
“It’s a big decision,” Townsend says of Arsenal’s signing of Toney. “I like him. I think he’s a talented player. But is he the one who can come in and make a difference?
“If Arteta buys a striker who can come in, then he won’t be happy, will he, Jesus!
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Will Ivan Toney be fit for the game?
The England international can train all he wants, but you can only get match sharpness and match fitness if you’re on the pitch.
Plus, he hasn’t tasted grass for months, so how quickly can he get fit? Toney does not come in the summer, but in the middle of the game.
If an ice cold striker joins for big money and then starts hard, it will hurt Arsenal a lot because there is little room for error.
When Arteta and co. make their final decision on who they want in the January transfer window, it may or may not prove to be the deciding factor in whether or not they win the Premier League title.
