Chelsea told not to bid £100m on Arsenal target
According to journalist Simon Phillips (h/t Express), Chelsea are set to halt their pursuit to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney till the summer transfer window.
Toney, who was not part of the England squad for the World Cup, was recently charged by the FA with 232 breaches of betting rules.
There is a risk that he may miss the remainder of this season because of the ban received. As a result, Chelsea would not be looking to sign him in January, but rather wait till the summer to see what happens with the trial.
Toney had an excellent first half of the season, where he scored 10 goals and assisted two in 14 league appearances, including a match-winning brace away at defending champions Manchester City in the game week just before the World Cup.
If we talk about in-form Premier League strikers, the former Peterborough marksman is right up there with the best. His game has come leaps and bounds in the last 18 months since the time Brentford got promoted to the top flight.
While Toney scored 10 goals in 14 games, Chelsea could manage a total of 17 goals in the same number of games. If ever a problem was this apparent in a team, it is this.
The Blues had a misfiring forward line in the first half of this season. Add that to the fact Armando Broja picked up an ACL injury during the friendly against Aston Villa on Sunday (December 11), Graham Potter’s men are further short in the centre-forward department.
With regard to Toney, it is a sensible decision by the club to wait and see what happens with the player’s punishment and related ramifications.
But, they cannot wait till that time without signing a striker in January. Depending on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz to get this team back in the top four would be risky business.
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