Arteta has sent his Arsenal strikers a warning message amid the Toney links
Mikel Arteta has sent a warning message to his Arsenal stars as speculation over a January move for Ivan Toney continues to mount.
Arsenal missed a host of chances in their north London derby against Spurs on Sunday in which the away side came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium.
One of those included a close-range effort for Gabriel Jesus, which saw the Brazilian blaze over the bar shortly after he had poached the ball from James Maddison.
While Arteta said he was happy with Jesus’ all-round performance, he admitted that the number nine can’t afford to miss big chances.
“These are defining moments in big matches, you have to be there and make the difference. We spoke about it after the PSV game. But this is football. It’s the hardest thing in football to put the ball in the net at the right time and every striker misses chances, you see it all across the league.
“He has a big impact in many areas of the pitch. On the weekend, he was really helpful in many moments, especially with his high press. In the final moment we have to be more ruthless there. We all know that and we need to help the players.”
Arteta keen to improve attacking options
His comments came at a time when the Gunners are reportedly stepping up their interest in Brentford and are considering making a move in the January window for the one-time England international.
Toney is about to enter the final 18 months of his contract and has put the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea on red alert.
The 27-year-old is still serving his eight-month ban from football after breaching the FA’s betting rules but can return to action from January and is allowed to train with Brentford as of the end of this month.
According to The Mirror, Brentford are resigned to losing the forward and are preparing themselves for incoming offers and are said to value their star man at in excess of £60m, with Arteta keen to bolster his attacking reinforcements.
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