Arsenal appear to be short of attacking options as the transfer deadline approaches (Picture: Getty)
Emmanuel Petit is convinced Arsenal can win the Premier League title this season if they successfully hijack Chelsea’s transfer move for Ivan Toney.
The Gunners have made a flawless start to the new campaign with wins against Wolves and Aston Villa indicating there is little by way of a hangover from last season’s near miss.
Runners-up in each of the last two campaigns, Arsenal are again fancied to do well but have been surprisingly frugal in the market this summer.
Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino have bolstered their defensive and midfield options, but Mikel Arteta is yet to make a single addition to his attack with only two days of the window remaning.
The likes of Eddie Nketiah, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe have all been deemed surplus to requirements but replacements don’t appear to be in the pipeline.
London rivals Chelsea, meanwhile, have been typically busy this summer and have armed Enzo Maresca with an array of new options.
Ivan Toney’s Brentford future remains unresolved (Picture: Getty)
The Blues are likely to be spending right up until the deadline with a centre forward a priority.
Chelsea are in talks with both Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney but Petit feels it is Arsenal who should be exploring a move for the Brentford star.
Toney hasn’t featured for the Bees this season with his future still unresolved and Petit is confident the England international is the missing piece in Arteta’s Arsenal jigsaw.
‘Arsenal need a 20-goals-per-season striker, they currently have a few players who can score 10-15 goals per season, like how Man City used to be,’ Petit told Gamblingzone.
Chelsea are also in talks to sign Victor Osimhen (Picture: Getty)
‘Pep Guardiola changed the system because he knew he needed a striker who could score lots of goals. In Erling Haaland’s first season, he broke goal-scoring records and won the Champions League.
‘Mikel Arteta will follow the steps of Guardiola, the way their teams play and a striker would be a cherry on top of the cake.
‘I think Nico Williams or someone like Ivan Toney could replicate Haaland’s output at Arsenal.
‘Toney has a great relationship with Bryan Mbeumo, understanding the timing and movements of your teammates is something important for Arsenal and I think he could be the man that spearheads them to the title – a late move could do them wonders.’
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.