"Make that happen" – Gabriel Agbonlahor suggests Arsenal should consider selling Emile Smith Rowe or Eddie Nketiah to fund move for 27-year-old
Ex-Aston Villa attacker Gabriel Agbonlahor has stated that Arsenal should sell both Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah to raise funds for a move to sign Brentford's Ivan Toney.
Toney, who was handed a betting-related ban earlier this May, has been a topic of speculation of late. The 27-year-old has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur apart from the Gunners so far.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor asserted that Mikel Arteta's outfit should part ways with 23-year-old Smith Rowe while opining on Toney's future. He elaborated (h/t The Boot Room):
"If I am Arsenal now, behind the scenes, I would be doing everything I can regarding Financial Fair Play to make it happen. What can we do? Can we sell Smith Rowe maybe? Can we sacrifice someone and get £35-£40 million for Smith Rowe [next month]?"
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent pitched in and asked:
"What about Eddie? Would you part ways with him?"
Agbonlahor, who represented Aston Villa 391 times in his career, said:
"Yeah, 100%. If you could use Eddie Nketiah and say to Brentford, 'Here you go. Here's £15-£20 million whatever for Ivan Toney or maybe £30 million. 100%. He can run in behind. He is strong. Did you see the goal where he dinked the keeper from 30 yards? He can finish, good in the air, good at holding the ball up."
Urging Arsenal to sign Toney ahead of Chelsea, Agbonlahor concluded:
"Imagine him with the runs from [Bukayo] Saka and [Gabriel] Martinelli down the wings, [Martin] Odegaard in the middle. Make that happen, because you know Chelsea are going to try and do it."
Toney, who is set to be eligible to play in mid-January next year, scored 20 goals in 33 league games last season. He also assisted four times.
Ivan Toney interested in moving to Arsenal, suggests reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano
In his column for Caught Offside, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that Ivan Toney would be elated to join the Emirates Stadium outfit in the future. He wrote:
"I'm hearing that his preference in terms of a top club move in January or the summer would be to go to Arsenal. From what I'm hearing, Ivan Toney could be really excited by the possibility."
Despite Toney's interest in Arsenal, a potential winter move could prove to be quite complicated. Brentford are hoping to keep their star, who is valued at £100 million, until the end of this season, as per Sky Sports.
Should the Englishman join the Gunners, he would most likely rotate a lot with key starter Gabriel Jesus in Mikel Arteta's usual 4-3-3 system.