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Arsenal need to sign £65m midfielder far more than Ivan Toney this month

Lucas Arnold

Thu 4 January 2024 11:45, UK

With the January transfer window now in full swing, a ton of Arsenal fans are calling for Mikel Arteta to sign Ivan Toney as a priority.

Back to back defeats against West Ham United and Fulham have highlighted the lack of a clinical finisher at Arsenal, and perhaps the side’s all round creativity is also causing concern.

Logically, the answer would be to sign a striker to add more goals, especially with Gabriel Jesus missing chances and Eddie Nketiah proving ineffective.

Ivan Toney was playing with so much authority and confidence before his ban, making him a suitable candidate as Arsenal’s next striker.

However, Arteta would be much better off signing an elite holding midfielder for Arsenal this January..

The side’s lack of potency in front of goal is a complicated issue, but a new number six like Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong could help solve the problem.

In fact, Arteta could choose from any of De Jong, Joao Neves or Douglas Luiz.

With the absence of Thomas Partey, Arsenal’s squad isn’t balanced and Arteta is having to deploy players in positions he may not have envisioned.

Moreover, the problem all stems around Arsenal’s number eight role – and it’s far too simplistic to blame the departure of Granit Xhaka.

Mikel Arteta needs a player like Frenkie De Jong far more than Ivan Toney at Arsenal in January

Kai Havertz is now regularly playing in the number eight, and he has done very well on occasion.

However, it doesn’t seem that was his intended role, Havertz is a luxury player, a shadow striker Arteta could have deployed when he saw fit.

Moreover, it seemed Declan Rice was envisioned to play in the number eight role – something that would have freed up Gabriel Martinelli on the left.

And with both Martinelli and Havertz enjoying more freedom in their minutes, goals would flow.

Fans now wouldn’t be demanding that Arteta bought Toney to Arsenal in January, their project would be beyond that.

There’s definitely merit to Arsenal signing a striker, but they would be better advised to seek a transformative signing next summer, with much more time to plan and execute.

De Jong would obviously be hard to sign from Barcelona in January, perhaps even impossible.

But there are options for Arsenal, with perhaps Benfica’s Joao Neves the most attainable given he has a release clause.

And if Arsenal do want to raise funds in January for such an ambitious pursuit then they do have saleable assets.

One pundit has already suggested that Arsenal should sell Emile Smith Rowe to fund January business.

And perhaps Aaron Ramsdale could also reluctantly be moved on given his current situation.