"Very good brain..." - Arsenal told Ivan Toney can be Gunners' very own Harry Kane next season

Arsenal have been told to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford this summer.

While it has been a campaign to remember for Mikel Arteta’s men, they look likely to fall short of claiming the Premier League title.

The Gunners led the pack for the vast majority of the season, but a run of four games without a win, including a bruising 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday, has handed the initiative to Pep Guardiola’s men in the title race.

City’s 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday has seen the reigning champions go a point clear of Arsenal at the summit, with a game in hand.

In turn, Arsenal, who despite their disappointment have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season, will look to push on next term.

The club have been linked with West Ham’s Declan Rice for months, while Arsenal legend Paul Merson insisted they should look to bring in Brentford’s Toney to bolster their striker options.

Arsenal to sign Toney?

Merson told the Soccer Saturday panel that the club should move to bring in Toney in the summer, claiming that he could be the club’s very own Harry Kane.

The former Gunners midfielder said: "I don’t see too much difference between him and Jesus, I don’t, but if I was Arsenal, I would take him.

"I would take him. He suits Arsenal down to the ground. Sometimes you cannot go long with Jesus, but you can go long with Toney. He is good in the air.

"He has got a very good brain, Toney. He can see a picture.

“He is not Harry Kane, but he can do a Harry Kane job where he can come off the centre-halves and he can pass through and he can find a pass and he is tidy."

Of course, should Toney arrive at the Emirates, he may need to make amends with some of the Arsenal staff and dressing room. The forward infamously took a dig at the Gunners on the opening day of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, as his side marked their return to the top flight with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Arteta's men.

After the game at a raucous Brentford Community Stadium Toney cheekily tweeted: "Nice kickabout with the boys."

The true impact of the tweet was revealed in Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary on Arsenal’s 2021/22 season, which showed how Arteta issued a rallying cry based around that Toney’s comment in an attempt to inspire the Gunners to beat Brentford later that campaign.

Topics: Football, Arsenal, Harry Kane, Premier League

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.