"Huge fan of his" - Jamie Carragher insists Arsenal must take chance with 27-year-old star to topple Manchester City
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal should sign Brentford forward Ivan Toney in the January transfer window if they want to beat Manchester City to the 2023-24 Premier League title.
The Gunners are currently third in the league standings with 24 points from 11 games, three points behind the Cityzens. While they are by no means out of the title race, one glaringly obvious weakness they possess are their centre-forwards.
Gabriel Jesus has scored four goals in 11 appearances this season but has already missed six games due to injury. He has also been sidelined until next month after suffering a hamstring knock two weeks ago.
On the other hand, Eddie Nketiah has shown some promise, registering five goals in 16 appearances. However, the 24-year-old hasn't been consistent against the bigger clubs.
Carragher gave his verdict on Toney, saying (via HITC):
“Yes he could [join Arsenal] and he is a different type of striker. Huge fan of his but making jump to a big club and can you not cope with the scrutiny, there’s not that expectation against Brentford."
He added:
"No doubt that the quality is there, but take Arsenal to title? Arsenal might need to take that chance if they don’t fix that position and the goalkeeper situation then difficult to overhaul Man City.”
Toney has impressed for Brentford in the Premier League, registering 32 goals and nine assists in 68 appearances. However, he remains suspended from all footballing activities until January, 16, 2024 due to gambling offences.
"Complete waste of time" - Tim Sherwood blasts Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz
Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood slammed Arsenal star Kai Havertz, calling him a 'waste of time' for Mikel Arteta after his poor start to the season.
The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea over the summer for £65 million. Even though Arteta has deployed the 24-year-old as a central midfielder rather than a forward to bolster his confidence, Havertz has failed to impress.
The German has scored just one goal and provided one assist in 17 appearances across all competitions. Sherwood gave his verdict, saying (via HITC):
“Havertz, for me, is a complete waste of time. I just don’t know what he is. I am not sure what he is, at all. Is he a ten? A nine? He certainly isn’t an eight. It looks like he runs around. He thinks he is too cool to sweat. I think there are better options."
He continued:
“If that was a kid making his debut, from what I saw at the weekend, but on a consistent basis if a kid goes in and performs like he performs, you would never see him again. That is an overrated player.”
Havertz will be aiming to make a better impact in the Gunners' next game against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 8.