Arsenal can forget Toney by signing "game changer" who'd supercharge Saka

Arsenal can forget Toney by signing “game changer” who’d supercharge Saka

After several years in the footballing wilderness, Arsenal are firmly back among the big boys, and as things stand, look ready to overtake them.

Mikel Arteta has crafted a supremely talented squad at the Emirates through intelligent signings and facilitating brilliant youth players like Bukayo Saka.

However, with Gabriel Jesus increasingly injury-prone and Eddie Nketiah – who hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since October – not at the level, the club needs to add a star number nine to the mix in the summer, and based on recent reports, they might do just that…

The latest on Arsenal’s striker search

Over the last 18 months or so, the Gunners have been linked with a number of talented nines, from Napoli’s Victor Osimhen to RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško, but perhaps none have been more heavily touted for a move to N5 than Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

However, in recent weeks, it would appear that the north Londoners have moved on from the Englishman and have now turned their attention to Viktor Gyökeres, a player who was tearing it up in the Championship last season and has been even more clinical in Portugal this year.

According to a recent report from talkSPORT, the Gunners have placed the Swedish marksman firmly at the top of their summer wishlist and, therefore, ahead of the Brentford ace.

That said, while Arsenal appear to have made their choice between the two goalscorers, have they made the right one?

How Gyökeres compares to Toney

So, with the league leaders looking for a striker to finish the plentiful chances created by their fluid frontline, the most important thing to compare between the pair would be their recent goal records. However, with the former Newcastle United ace missing the majority of this season due to his eight-month betting-related ban, it would make sense to look at their record from the last two seasons to work out their average return.

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Sporting CP’s “game changer,” as content creator Statman Dave described him, has scored 58 goals and provided 26 assists in 89 games, whereas the Bees’ number nine has scored 25 goals and provided five assists in 45 games.

Gyökeres vs Toney from 22/23

Player

Gyökeres

Toney

Appearances

89

45

Goals

58

25

Goals per Match

0.65

0.55

Assists

26

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.94

0.66

All Stats via Transfermarkt

So, when looking at just goals, the Swedish phenom comes out on top with a more impressive 0.65 per game compared to the Englishman’s average of 0.55, and it gets even more one-sided when looking at goal involvements as a whole, with the former Coventry City ace averaging 0.94 to just 0.66 from his potential competition.

Unfortunately for the former Peterborough ace, the comparisons become yet more one-sided when taking their underlying numbers into account. According to FBref, he produces a significantly lower non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, is less clinical in front of goal, contributes less to build-up, has a far inferior pass completion, and is generally less dangerous on the ball.

Gyökeres vs Toney per FBref

Stats per 90

Gyökeres

Toney

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.79

0.46

Non-Penalty Goals

0.75

0.40

Assists

0.42

0.00

Shots on Target

1.59

1.40

Goals from Shots on Target

0.47

0.29

Passing Accuracy

72.9%

51.5%

Shot-Creating Actions

4.65

2.60

Goal-Creating Actions

0.80

0.30

Successful Take-Ons

2.26

0.50

All Data via FBref for the 2023/24 League Season

Overall, there isn’t a meaningful attacking metric in which he comes out on top. He would, therefore, be a weaker option to spearhead the Gunners’ attack and likely a far more frustrating teammate for the likes of Saka, who could thrive alongside Gyökeres – the Englishman having already racked up 29 goals and assists this season in all competitions.

The Swede’s clinical finishing would see the Hale End gem’s assist numbers explode, and his brilliant dribbling ability would open up more space for the young Englishman to exploit and potentially see his goalscoring figures similarly supercharged.

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Ultimately, while the Brentford star is an undeniably talented forward, Arsenal’s decision to shift their focus towards Sporting CP’s electric marksman is undoubtedly the right decision and could benefit the whole attack.