‘Rare animal’ Prem star urged to shun blockbuster Arsenal transfer despite being told Edu will ‘not come calling twice’

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been told he needs to show loyalty to the Bees and should reject the opportunity to sign for Arsenal in January despite fears that he may never get the opportunity to join a big club ever again in his career.

Toney’s journey in the game has seen him play and score goals in all four tiers of the English pyramid, taking in clubs along the way such as Northampton, Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe. But it was not until his move to Peterborough in summer 2018 when his career really hit the straps, with Toney scoring 49 goals in 94 appearances for Posh.

That earned the player a move to Brentford, where has since scored 68 times in 124 games, ultimately being capped by England for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley Stadium.

Sadly for the striker, his rapid rise was held up at the worst possible time, when he was hit with an eight-month suspension for a breach of FA betting regulations.

Despite that, demand for his services has never been higher and during his absence, a transfer scramble for his services has ensued with Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal among those linked with his signature.

However, with Chelsea’s lowly status seemingly ruling them out the equation and with Spurs prioritising on other areas of their side in January, it is Arsenal who have seemingly been left as sole suitors.

As a result, trusted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Toney would be keen to make the move to Emirates Stadium if the opportunity presented itself.

Prising Toney away from the Bees will not come cheap. He’s rated at around the £55m mark by the Bees, though a mid-season move could sting Arsenal for upwards of £70m-plus.

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Ivan Toney told Arsenal move may never come around again

However, with neither Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah considered prolific, there is a school of thought that suggests signing Toney could be Arsenal’s golden ticket towards Premier League title glory.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed and there are also those who feel the asking price on his head is too much to pay for a player who has not played competitive football for close to eight months now.

Regardless of that, talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders reckons Toney needs to snub all advances from Arsenal and stay loyal to the Bees, despite a belief that Gunners sporting director Edu will likely look elsewhere come the summer window if he does not make the move in January.

“I think he should get back playing,” Saunders said.

“The temptation if Arsenal or Chelsea are sniffing round must be there, as he may never get another chance to go to a big club like that.

“But I think he owes Brentford who have stuck by him and I think he should get out there and give six months to Brentford and then move in the summer, get himself playing again.”

Rare animal Toney tipped to score goals again for Brentford

Saunders was asked how he thinks Toney will respond to such a lengthy spell out and whether he will rediscover his golden touch in front of goal.

And the Welshman believes the 27-year-old is one of those rare players who will be able to pick up exactly where he left off once he returns to action.

“You never lose your eye for a goal. The temptation is there but I would just get back playing, get my head down, bang some goals in and it’ll still be there in the summer because everyone needs someone who can score 20 goals and he looks like a rare animal who can.”

Toney’s current deal at the Gtech Community Stadium is due to expire in summer 2025, meaning Brentford may not get the chance to claim such a large fee for their prized asset again.

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