Ex-Arsenal star wants the Gunners to sign 27-year-old PL striker over Ivan Toney
Mikaël Silvestre has urged Arsenal to pick Ollie Watkins over Brentford striker Ivan Toney. He believes that the Aston Villa star would be better suited for Mikel Arteta's system but still has faith in Eddie Nletiah and Gabriel Jesus.
Speaking to GGrecon, Silvestre said that Arsenal have enough games this season to give every player enough minutes. He has backed his former side to sign a new striker in January but believes it should be Watkins and not Toney. He said:
“Right now you have Eddie Nketiah at the club alongside Gabriel Jesus, but signing a third striker could present them with a luxury that could be useful at this level, especially when you consider the amount of games that Arseńal could potentially play this season."
He added:
"The team always needs healthy competition and it needs quality, so if Arseńal were to sign another striker in the near future, then it would be [Ollie] Watkins over [Ivan] Toney if the decision was up to me.”
Toney has been heavily linked with Arsenal, with reports suggesting that Brentford are open to a sale. The striker is currently suspended for betting breaches and will be back in action in mid-January.
William Gallas also urged Arsenal to avoid Ivan Toney
William Gallas has also urged Arsenal to avoid signing Ivan Toney from Brentford. He does not see the Englishman as the world-class striker the Gunners need and told Lord Ping:
"I think Arseńal need one world-class striker, and at the moment, Toney is not a world-class striker, he is a good striker who has been doing well, but Arseńal need a striker like Haaland."
"[Victor] Osimhen is a different class of striker. He can do damage in the Premier League and I think he can be that striker for Arseńal."
He added:
"It's difficult to think of others who are that good! I think the lack of world-class strikers is a big problem for modern football. There used to be so many!"
Toney has scored 68 goals and provided 21 assists in 124 games for Brentford. The Bees have set a £80 million fee on the English striker and are ready to sell in January. However, the Gunners will face competition from Chelsea, who are keen on signing him.