Walcott urges Arsenal to be cautious over target who reminds him of ex-teammate

24 December 2023 , 11:42

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Walcott urges Arsenal to be cautious over target who reminds him of ex-teammate

Ex-Arsenal ace Theo Walcott has claimed that January transfer target Ivan Toney reminds him of former Gunners colleague Olivier Giroud.

The former England international was on punditry duty for Arsenal's trip to Anfield on Saturday night and witnessed Mikel Arteta's men play out a thrilling 1-1 draw. Gabriel Magalhaes fired the visitors in front inside the opening five minutes, before Mohamed Salah netted an equaliser after some lacklustre defending from Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arsenal have a dire recent record at Anfield and while they will be happy coming away with a point, there were chances there to win the game. Had it been for some sharper finishing, the Gunners could have returned from the red half of Merseyside with all three points.

After the game, Walcott seemed to suggest that Arteta is aware of the strengthening required in an attacking sense. He claimed: "I just feel like Mikel (Arteta) will deep down know what he needs, but we don’t want to dwell on it."

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp interjected and reminded Walcott of the fact that Arsenal have been regularly linked with Brentford ace Ivan Toney. The former Southampton ace admitted he harbours some concerns about a potential transfer for the Bees striker.

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"I would be cautious of that because he hasn’t played," Walcott confessed. "He’s a forward that is similar to Olivier Giroud which Arsenal used to have, which I was a big fan of.

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Ivan Toney has been regularly linked with a move to Arsenal in recent months (Offside via Getty Images)

"They are slightly missing something but defensively, they have been solid and have won titles with their defence alone - I just feel like they were better than last season."

Toney is not short of potential suitors, with Chelsea also believed to be keeping tabs on his situation. The 28-year-old is nearing the end of his eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules.

From Arsenal's perspective, though there is a shortage of world-class strikers on the market, other options have emerged. The Gunners are keen admirers of Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen but could be priced out of a move for the Nigerian international after he penned a new deal that includes a £130million release clause.

Arteta told the media back in September that the Gunners would not be looking to sign a new striker mid-season. "We're not thinking at all about that," he explained. "We have really good players up front. It's true that right now we have some injuries. We will continue with the players we have."

Josh O'Brien