Piers Morgan believes Arsenal could challenge for the PL and the UCL if they signed star from London rivals

British journalist and Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan believes the Gunners need to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney in January to compete on all fronts.

Arsenal lead the Premier League table after 13 games, sitting a point above Manchester City and two points above Liverpool and Aston Villa. They have also qualified for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League with a game to spare in the group stages.

However, one area they seem to lack is in the striking department. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have had moments of brilliance but have largely flattered to deceive. Jesus has scored five goals in 13 games across competitions but just one in eight league games. Nketiah, meanwhile, has scored five goals in 13 league games.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Toney in January and Morgan believes they must sign him, as he told talkSPORT:

“I think so. I still think we need a world-class striker. I think that Gabriel Jesus has a fantastic heat map, he’s a fantastic footballer, puts incredible effort in and will score goals, but he’s never going to score 25 goals a season or anything like it.

"Toney is a natural goalscorer, a predatory goalscorer and we don’t really have that."

He added about Nketiah:

“I don’t think Eddie Nketiah is ready yet. He may become that player and we’ve seen him very dominant against lesser teams but he disappears a lot in the bigger games. That’s not his fault, it’s a lack of experience but I do think he’ll get there."

Morgan referenced former Arsenal strikers like Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie, saying they don't have a player like that in their squad. He said:

"“In the years that we won titles, we had Nicolas Anelka, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and players of that calibre – we don’t have one of those and if we had one of those, we’d have a great chance of not just winning the Premier League, but winning the Champions League.

“Why shouldn’t we? We’ve made a statement of real intent this week and I think we’ve got a squad that can compete for the Champions League.”

Toney is currently out of action due to an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules and will return in January. He had an excellent 2022-23 season with Brentford, as he scored 20 goals and provided four assists in 33 Premier League games.

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What's next for Arsenal?

The Gunners have shown since their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United on November 4, winning their next four games across competitions. They find themselves atop the Premier League table and will host Wolverhampton Wanderers next on Saturday, December 2.

Arsenal come into the game on the back of a 6-0 rout of RC Lens at the Emirates in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 29. All six goals were scored by different players - Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Jorginho.

Wolves, meanwhile, lost their last game 3-2 against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on November 27. They were on the end of yet another controversial penalty decision and are now 12th in the table.