Former Premier League stars Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Mikel Sylvestre have advised Arsenal to make a move for Napoli star Victor Osimhen, instead of Ivan Toney.
The gunners have been struggling to score goals for the last six weeks now and have also fallen off the pace of Liverpool in the Premier League title race, dropping to fourth in the table with a five-point gap separating both sides.
Mikel Arteta’s side have not been clinical enough in front of goal this season, having scored only 37 goals.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who is returning from an eight-month ban due to betting has been most strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, but the trio Shearer, Richards and Sylvestre believe the Gunners should turn their attention to the Nigerian striker, saying he is a more complete striker than the Englishman.
Speaking to GGRecon, Silvestre said, “Yes, I think he would be. In my eyes, Victor’s a more complete striker than Ivan Toney.
“I believe his style would be better suited to Arsenal too. As soon as Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille, he needed six months to adapt and then after that he became a real threat and scored a lot of goals,” Silvestre said, adding “He was key to Napoli winning the Serie A title last season and for the reasons I’ve provided, I would prefer Arsenal to sign Osimhen over Ivan Toney.”
Shearer also named the new African Player of The Year during The Rest Is Football podcast.
He said, “Osimhen!” when Gary Lineker the kind of striker Arsenal needed most.
Former Manchester City defender, Richards, also added, “Osimhen would be my one for Arsenal.”
Osimhen’s recent contract renewal with Napoli ties him with the club till 2026, but it also signifies that he could be sold in the summer with a release clause between €120m and €130m. Italian media also reported that his salary has been doubled to €10m per season.
Arsenal’s London rivals, Chelsea are also said to be ready to break the bank to land the Nigerian in the summer, while the 25-year-old, according to TEAMtalk, is willing to sign a pre-agreement in January before making the switch to Chelsea officially at the end of the season.
