Arteta warned £80m Arsenal transfer may implode with major issue potentially putting Edu off

Arsenal are said to be having second thoughts on the transfer of Ivan Toney with one observer revealing the one factor that could dissuade Edu from sanctioning the Brentford striker’s £80m signing.

The Gunners are top of the Premier League table for the second successive Christmas, having earned a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in their top of the table showdown on Saturday. And with Arsenal having had the experience of finishing runners-up to Manchester City last season, belief is growing that Mikel Arteta’s side can go one step further this time around.

That point sees Arsenal having collected 40 points from their opening 18 matches, one better off than Liverpool and Aston Villa and, perhaps more significantly, six clear of reigning champions Manchester City, who do have a game in hand.

Indeed, Danny Murphy now feels that Arsenal have an edge over all their rivals this season, thanks to two players he feels are among the best in the world game.

If the Gunners are to make the extra step this season, however, many people feel Mikel Arteta will need to add another top goalscorer to their ranks.

To that end, all their title rivals have a regular source of goals in their squad with Erling Haaland (14), Mo Salah (12) and Ollie Watkins (nine) all regularly hitting the back of the net.

By contrast, Arsenal’s goals are more shared about and their top scorer in the Premier League is Eddie Nketiah, with five.

And the man Arteta tends to rely on as his first choice – Gabriel Jesus – has just three goals in 13 Premier League appearances so far this season.

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One major issue putting Arsenal off Ivan Toney deal

As a result, Arsenal are being strongly linked with a possible January signing to add another dimension to their attack.

And while the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Victor Osimhen have been mentioned, the main focus of their attention appears to on Toney, who has been valued at around the £80m mark by Brentford, despite having just 18 months left on his deal.

The likes of Tottenham and Chelsea have also been linked with Toney, but’s believed the striker would prefer a move to Emirates Stadium with the once-capped England striker recently dropping a major hint on social media.

While Toney will likely be a tad rusty, having served a suspension for breaching the FA regulations, his record in the Premier League is certainly not in question. Indeed, he has scored an impressive 32 times in 66 Premier League appearances for the Bees.

However, the one major factor dissuading Gunners sporting director Edu from a possible deal is the player’s age.

Toney is currently 27, but will turn 28 on March 16, with that signing going against the grain of the current regime at Arsenal.

Indeed, their policy has been to spend big on elite-level younger players only, helping them to both gain in value and ensure Arsenal will be able to sell them on for a profit if and when the time comes for them to leave.

On the flip side, any deal for Toney at £80m would not only set Arsenal back the second largest fee in their history, it would also be one they would be unlikely to recoup at any point in the future.

And with strategy of buying young serving Arsenal well, former England coach Stuart Pearce has spelled out Edu’s hesitation over the deal.

“The big thing is, the age of Toney might come into consideration,” he told Express Sport. “People want value for money. He is certainly, before he was laid up, he was firing particularly well and did brilliantly for Brentford.”

Arsenal told they need a striker, but is Toney the one?

Pearce continued: “I think he’s an outstanding player, but whether what it would cost to get him out of Brentford is value for money, I don’t know.

“Brentford will want top dollar for him, having sat with the player for the best part of nine months without him kicking a ball.”

Whether Arsenal sign Toney remains to be seen. However, Pearce does agree with theories that Arteta probably needs another striker option to call upon amid doubts that any of their current options can score enough goals to fire the club to title glory.

“You look at some of the high-flying teams around the world, they might have four options up front,” Pearce added. “There are still slight questions marks about Nketiah and Jesus.

“Maybe even if [Kai] Havertz plays up top, there’s a question mark there. If an out-and-out goal scorer that guarantees 20-odd goals a season [becomes available], that would push Arsenal’s credentials even further.”

Toney’s overall record for Brentford reads 68 goals and 21 assists from 124 appearances – a goal contribution every 1.39 appearances.

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