Michael Owen raises doubts over Arsenal’s pursuit of Ivan Toney in January transfer window

Former Manchester United and Liverpool striker, Michael Owen, has cast doubt on Arsenal’s pursuit of Ivan Toney, questioning the striker’s ability to elevate the team’s current standing.

Amid ongoing discussions about Arsenal’s potential interest in Toney, who currently plays for Premier League rivals Brentford, Owen shared his reservations on Premier League Productions.

While acknowledging Toney’s impressive statistics, Owen raised concerns about the striker’s goal-scoring capability, particularly emphasizing the significant proportion of his goals coming from penalties.

Owen stated, “If the opportunity comes right now, then yes, take it. The next question is: ‘Right, who is going to improve it? Who is going to be that man?’ Toney has been linked over the last few months.”

He continued, “His numbers are very good. But he does score an awful lot of penalties. You mentioned that about 60% of his goals are penalties, which is an awful lot.”

Expressing skepticism about Toney’s suitability for Arsenal, Owen emphasized the high standards set by past Arsenal strikers and questioned whether Toney could reach that level.

“We are talking about some of the best strikers ever in recent times. World-class players, all of them. Is he of that level? It’s a big question mark. He has done it for Brentford, but whether he could up his game at Arsenal is different.”