Arteta to brutally offload Arsenal fan-favourite to fund January deal for 34-goal Toney alternative
Arsenal linked Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez
Arsenal have reportedly ‘scouted’ Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez and could pursue him if they are priced out a move for Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Toney is a key target for the Gunners, Chelsea and Tottenham, and the Bees value him at around £75m, it has been claimed.
It’s no secret that the England international is keen to move to a bigger club in January. There have even been suggestions that Arsenal could offer Eddie Nketiah in a part-exchange deal for the striker.
His price tag could put off Mikel Arteta, however, despite the manager being keen on him.
Arsenal may also need to sell players before sanctioning any more major incomings this season due to FFP. As a result, the manager has begun looking for alternatives to Toney.
A new striker seems to be one of Arteta’s priorities for the January window. Pundits have hailed Arsenal’s transfer business this season but have questioned whether they have a prolific enough goal scorer for them to compete for the Premier League title.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Gunners make a bid for Toney, or indeed Gimenez, in the near future.
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Gimenez in, Smith Rowe out for Arsenal?
According to The Times, the Gunners are one of several clubs considering a bid for Gimenez when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Linked with Chelsea and Tottenham this year, Gimenez – who has scored 34 goals for Feyenoord since the start of last season – has been ‘scouted’ by the Gunners, who would need to sell fringe players if they sign Toney or the Mexico international.
‘The obvious candidates’ to be sold are Hale End graduates Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson, the report claims.
The trio are expected to play against Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and Arteta has said Smith Rowe must take his chance having not started a game in 499 days.
Smith Rowe remains favourite at the Emirates and fans will be gutted to see him leave, even if he is finding game time very hard to come by.
“He is incredibly popular,” Arteta told reporters this week. “We all love him.
“It’s no different what the people feel and what we feel about him, but one thing is to be there, the other one is to start and then once you start, you are consistent to stay there and you have to stay fit as well.
“Obviously we speak with our players & we try to explain the reason why we make certain decisions, but he’s clear on what he needs to do – which is performing on the pitch and giving the best to win games for us.
“He needs to prove it like anybody else on the field that he deserves to play,” Arteta added.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Arsenal opt to sell Smith Rowe in January to fund a deal for Toney or Gimenez.
