Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Brentford striker Ivan Toney ahead of Wednesday evening's Carabao Cup clash against the Bees. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Toney in recent days, with the Mirror reporting that the north London club are stepping up their interest in the 27-year-old ahead of the January transfer window.
Arteta is said to be targeting a move for the England international, who could be available for a fee in the region of £60million. The Spaniard is claimed to want to bring a proven goalscorer to his frontline and Toney's physicality is said to be a desirable trait for the young manager.
Now, Arteta has claimed that he isn't thinking about recruiting a centre-forward in January, admitting that he is happy with his current frontline when asked if he is planning to bring in a striker in the New Year. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Spaniard said: «We're not thinking at all about that [signing a striker].
»We have really good players up front. It’s true we have some injuries, but we will continue with the players that we’ve got that’s for sure."
When asked why traditional No.9s have become rarer, he added: «It's coming back, no? There are a few players when you look at Harry Kane, Haaland, Ivan Toney, (Aleksandar) Mitrovic.
»You have examples of players who score a lot of goals. We haven't scored a lot of goals as yet.
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