Jermaine Jenas has told Chelsea that Ivan Toney is “built for them” and he would “definitely” be going after him if he was the manager.
Toney is one of the most in-demand forwards in the Premier League as a result of his 20-goal season last term. Only two players scored more than the Brentford man in the top flight.
It says something of his quality that he’s not even played this season due to a ban and yet there are still a lot of sides clamouring for him.
Arsenal are one of the clubs that might have the best chance of snaring him. That they are frequently battling at the top of the table means he’d likely have no problems making the move.
Fabrizio Romano has recently confirmed that the Gunners “know the player would like to join.”
That should put them towards the top of the list of sides who are able to land Toney.
Interest from rival side Chelsea seems to have waned of late, with the Blues instead looking into the signing of Viktor Gyokeres.
However, they could return to Toney after it was revealed the Sporting CP striker is looking to move to Germany, Spain or Italy rather than back England if he is to move on at all.
Toney ‘built for’ Chelsea side
It seems Jenas cannot understand why the Blues have turned their attention away from Toney in the first place, as he feels he’s a perfect fit for the current Chelsea side.
“Ivan Toney, I think he is built for this team, personally, the way that they play,” he said on TNT Sports.
“He would be the one that I would, yeah, definitely go for if I were the manager.”
Chelsea have not exactly had the best luck with recruiting strikers of late.
Kai Havertz was disappointing for the majority of his spell at the club, and Nicolas Jackson has missed a lot of chances and recently been pushed out to the wing rather than starting up top.
With that being said, the Blues should prioritise finding a player who fits their system, and if Toney is that, as Jenas believes, they need to do what they can to snare him.
Summer move may benefit Chelsea
There’s a chance nobody gets Toney in January, though. Dean Saunders believes he “owes Brentford” as they have stuck by him of late, so he should wait at least six months to move.
But the pundit suggested he “may never get another chance” to move to a big club if he doesn’t go now.
That could be the case for Arsenal, as on their quest for title success, they might swiftly move onto other options that they feel can help them achieve their goals.
But if Chelsea agree that Toney is made for them, it’s likely they’ll wait around.
What’s more, it would not be new to see them spend big money on multiple players around the same time, so even if they sign a different striker, they might still go for the Brentford man when he’s available.
READ MORE: ‘Negotiations underway’ as Tottenham push to forge Chelsea agreement for second January signing