"He’ll say something back" - Troy Deeney says Arsenal are unlikely to sign PL superstar because of his 'personality'
Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has claimed that Arsenal are unlikely to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the summer. The former Watford attacker insisted that Toney's personality is something Mikel Arteta might not want to deal with.
Toney has been a player in demand for quite a while now with Arsenal named one of his biggest admirers. The 28-year-old will enter the final year of his deal at the Gtech Community Stadium and is expected to leave in the summer.
However, Troy Deeney reckons Toney will command a fee of around £90-100 million and does not see him moving to the Emirates. The former Watford striker has insisted that Mikel Arteta might not be a fan of Toney's outlandish personality. Deeney said, as quoted by The Boot Room:
“I reckon this year you’re looking at £90-100m. I think they know they will sell him. Even on that, because he has personality and because he’ll say something back I don’t think people want him. I look at Arsenal and Arteta wants a certain type of player, someone who falls into line, works hard, and does all of this. Does he have to bend a bit to put Ivan Toney in there? And that’s the crossroads Arsenal are at now."
Ivan Toney has established himself in the Premier League since achieving promotion with Brentford. He made a strong impression last season when he scored 20 goals in the Premier League to finish third in the race for the Golden Boot behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Toney missed a major chunk of this season and the last few games of the previous season with an eight-month suspension for breaching betting regulations. He has been decent since his return, having managed four goals in 13 games.
Premier League legend opens up on his experience of playing for both Arsenal and Chelsea
One of the best left-backs to have ever graced the Premier League, Ashley Cole has opened up on his experience of playing for both Arsenal and Chelsea. The former England international came through the youth ranks of the Gunners and broke into the first team in 2000.
Cole won seven trophies during his time at the north London club, including two Premier League titles. However, he moved to London rivals Chelsea in 2006 which made him a notorious figure among the fans.
The former left-back won nine trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge and cemented his legacy as one of the best full-backs of his time. The 43-year-old has shared his experience of playing for both London sides. He said:
"When you retire, you respect both clubs immensely. The joy I had at Arsenal, my boyhood club - it gave me everything and I'll never, ever forget that. I never expected at 18 to be playing for Arsenal. All that hard work is gifted with an opportunity. The minute you play for Arsenal, you understand there's more hard work, it's going to be a long road. But the feeling of putting on that shirt was very satisfying. It was an incredible feeling."
Cole added:
"After a while, it becomes a job where you have to win. It's not about the trophies in this instance - my magic moment has to be making my debut. At Chelsea, I had a different kind of mentality. I was angrier when I went there. I played with more anger. I wanted to win, it was all about winning. My magic moment was winning the Champions League."
Cole made a total of 384 Premier League appearances and was capped 107 times for England.