Why Chelsea, Arsenal want to sign Brentford striker Toney

Chelsea v Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday isn’t quite the ‘Ivan Toney derby’, but it nonetheless offers an opportune moment to consider a potential transfer that has been anticipated like few others.

In fact, Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal this weekend was more of a competition for Toney’s affections, given the 27-year-old striker appears determined to leave Brentford at the first opportunity. Sources have told ESPN that the Blues and Gunners are monitoring Toney’s situation after he changed reps in August, joining CAA Stellar, one of the world’s leading agencies, making it clear he feels ready for a new chapter in his career.

Brentford would prefer to keep Toney, but manager Thomas Frank has already admitted the club would allow him to leave if a suitable offer arrives.

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“So far we have only sold one [while Brentford have been] in the Premier League: David Raya, it was a loan [to Arsenal] but we will probably sell it in the future,” Frank said as a guest on Sky Sports’ “Monday Night Football” last month. “Every club in the world is selling clubs except five or six. We are a selling club if the right price is there and I think it is the right time for the player to leave – it is not my decision – if he develops well with us and proves that he is good with of the best clubs, then it is. It’s the right thing if it’s the right price.”

Asked if that applied to Toney, Frank replied: “Yes, I think so. I understand why there are a lot of rumors. As a No.9 striker, I don’t see any not many are better in the world than him. Of course we have [Harry] Kane, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Erling] Haaland and those guys but not a lot. »

A source close to the matter told ESPN that Brentford will demand a transfer fee of around £80m for Toney. The final amount could even be higher if a bidding war breaks out between Chelsea, Arsenal and any other interested parties, including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Toney is serving an eight-month ban for breaching the Football Association’s playing rules on 232 occasions. He was only allowed to return to training at Brentford last month and will not be able to play again until January 17, 2024. It is therefore conceivable that his next appearance will be at a new club, especially as Toney has already took advantage of this forced downtime to give an interview in which he flirted with two potential suitors.

“The next club I go to, if I had to move, would be the right club,” he said in an August interview on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. “I’ve been a Liverpool fan all my life, but ever since I was young I’ve loved Arsenal. I love watching Arsenal, how they play and how passionate their fans are. I’m a Liverpool boy in the ‘soul.”

So, in the meantime, Toney has to wait. Brentford are waiting to see what interest arises. His new agents are waiting to negotiate a deal. Everyone is in this curious state of limbo until January, when Toney can kick a ball, the transfer window opens and a seemingly inevitable deal takes place.

Frank talked about developing a plan to create a “2.0 version of Ivan Toney.” But if Brentford are content to refurbish the England international and move him to the highest bidder, where will he go and which team needs him most?

Chelsea and Arsenal played out an entertaining draw which did little to allay concerns, with both needing another centre-forward to achieve their respective goals. The league is only nine games old, but goals are already a problem. Newcastle United are the division’s top scorers with 24 – but with eight in a single match against Sheffield United – while Arsenal are seventh (18) and Chelsea 10th (13).

Creativity can also be a factor. Newcastle lead the way with expected goals (19.87) ahead of Liverpool (19.15), Aston Villa (17.53), Brighton (17.46). Ironically, Brentford are in fifth place on the list with 17.42, followed by Tottenham (16.66), Chelsea (16.52) and Arsenal (16.19).

This season, Arsenal have sacrificed some offensive creativity to be more solid. Central midfielder Jorginho started alongside Declan Rice against Chelsea and Manchester City, with Martin Ødegaard operating almost as a No.10 in a slightly modified 4-3-3 that at times approximated a 4-2-3-1 .

Striker Gabriel Jesus recalled his match-winning quality in Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League victory at Sevilla on Tuesday. Scoring one and setting up another, he took his respectable Champions League record to 23 goals in 41 appearances. Nights like this will quiet the clamor for Arsenal to sign a new centre-forward, given the 26-year-old almost single-handedly fought a tough assignment in his team’s favor, combining a combative and energetic press with moments of class in possession: Cruyff’s turn and pass for Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal will be remembered as long as his own strike in the 53rd minute, expertly curled into the far corner.

But for all Jesus’ pedigree, he suffered from injury problems and wasn’t the most clinical striker, even when playing for Manchester City. His 236 appearances included 95 goals in one of the most creative and successful teams English football has ever known, although it should be noted, in mitigation, that he sometimes played on the wing right, when only 151 games were starts, and his record playing from the start was much better; he has scored 53 goals in 99 starts compared to five goals in 60 substitute appearances in the Premier League.

Relations between Arsenal and Brentford are said to be good following Raya’s loan move across the capital, which could give them a head start in any decision for Toney if they choose to replace him.

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Chelsea’s centre-forward problem is most evident as a combination of injuries and, despite spending more than £1 billion over three transfer windows, the lack of a high-profile acquisition in this area of ​​the pitch has created the feeling that they are simply running out of choices.

Both clubs may hope the answer lies within: the Gunners have Jesus, a consistent player in a title-winning Manchester City side, and the promise of Eddie Nketiah; Chelsea have Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja sidelined through injury, while youngster Nicolas Jackson has only just returned to full fitness. Yet suspicions remain that an external upgrade is needed and although Toney only played two Premier League games (for Newcastle in 2015-16) until two years ago, there are good reasons to think it might be worth it.

Only Haaland (36) and Kane (30) have scored more Premier League goals than Toney’s 20 last season. He made the fewest shots (94), compared to Haaland (123) and Kane (120), despite splitting the two in minutes played (Kane played the most).

And, significantly, given that Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea boss Mikel Arteta like the forefoot high press style, Toney’s ball recoveries last season are a A major exception from the other two prolific strikers: Toney recorded 103 compared to Kane’s 96 (despite playing over 450 minutes less) and Haaland’s 37.

There are other options – Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, valued at £150m, is a potential alternative for many clubs tracking Toney – but the stage has long been set for Brentford to cash in on their star man. Who knows, maybe Chelsea could try to get ahead of their rivals and start that conversation at Stamford Bridge this weekend?