"Would be a good signing" - Dean Saunders urges Arsenal to sign 26-year-old Premier League forward

Dean Saunders thinks Ivan Toney would be a good fit for the Gunners

Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has tipped Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to sign Brentford centre-forward Ivan Toney. Saunders believes Toney would be a good addition to Arteta’s young team.

Arsenal, who allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Barcelona in January, are set to lose Alexandre Lacazette to Lyon at the end of the month. Eddie Nketiah was also nearing the end of his contract, but the Gunners have tied him down to a new deal.

Nketiah’s extension bodes well for Arteta’s side as they will surely have a capable, young forward at their disposal next term. But the north London outfit need another quality striker as Nketiah alone can't do the job.

Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus is supposedly Arsenal’s top target for the summer. Saunders, however, has urged Arteta to look elsewhere and bring Brentford’s Toney to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Speaking to talkSPORT (via the Express), he said:

“If I was Arsenal, I'd sign Toney from Brentford. I would sign him from Brentford, sorry Brentford fans. He's got rid of [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, I think he did the right thing for the sake of the dressing room. He was undermining him every day and he's trying to build a club, young players, great players.”

Saunders added:

“I think Arteta's on the right track. He would be a good signing. There are a few options and one of them is Ivan Toney. I would sign him if I was Arteta.”

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Toney, 26, scored 12 Premier League goals in the 2021-22 season. He bagged 31 goals in the Championship a season earlier, playing a massive role behind Brentford earning promotion to the Premier League.

Ivan Toney signing could be more harmonious for Arsenal's dressing room

Following Nketiah’s extension, Arsenal are likely to give him more time to develop his game. The forward scored five goals in his last eight starts for the Gunners and should only get better with regular game time.

But he might struggle for minutes if Arsenal bring in Jesus from City.

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Toney is not as big a name as Jesus, which could work in Arteta’s side’s favor. He is intelligent, works hard, and has an open mind when it comes to exploring the greater good of the team.

So, if the time comes to make room for Nketiah, he could be more open to stepping aside than Jesus, who needs to play regularly to represent Brazil in the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The north Londoners have already been linked with Toney (via 90min) and it will be interesting to see if they go down that road this summer.

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